Okay so I’m finally getting around to updating about the holiday weekend but in a nutshell..The Thanksgiving holiday weekend was great!

We/I managed to get some great training, shopping, and food:) Thanksgiving day began with the Walnut Creek Turkey Trot 10k. Both my husband and I manage to brave the cold, tie up our racing flats, and hit the pavement for 6.2 miles (10k). This was my husbands first run since racing at Clearwater Ironman 70.3 World Championship two weeks ago and for the first time I actually beat him to the finish line. I managed to finish with a time of 43:35 and 1st place in my age division, not my best time bust a good baseline for the beginning on road racing season. After the race we went back to the house and prepped for a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner. As family arrived and we began to eat my cousin-in-law said she had opted to be more “mindful” and made green beans with almonds versus a green bean casserole. I was ecstatic know that, one, she actually read my blog and two, she implemented a mindful choice that made dinner that much more meaningful. Thank you E 🙂

The rest of the weekend we relaxed, ate, shopped, and luckily had the opportunity to enjoy one of our most favorite training places Mt.Diablo State Park. Here is a summary of our training:

Thursday: Turkey Trot 10k Run -43:35 Time -Downtown Walnut Creek, mostly flat course with some inclines during the first couple of miles.

Friday: 2000+ ft climb up to the Junction Station on Mt. Diablo

Saturday: OFF day-lunch and movie date:)

Sunday: 1.5 hour run up Mt. Diablo to Diablo ranch.

Okay so bringing it up to today, registration opened up for Wildflower Long Course (70.3 distance) today. This course also happens to be an ITU 70.3 Age Group World Championship Qualifier, only top 5 spots in age group get to the championships. Knowing this my husband and I jumped on the chance to register before it fills up, and now that it is a qualifier the competition is going to get even stiffer.  It’s a tough course, it’s a course that makes you want to come back and not let it beat you. It’s a course that will challenge you to the bone and show you what you are made of. It’s a course that you walk away feeling like a triathlete. It’s a course that will give both pain and joy after crossing the finishline. It’s a course that makes you want to come back for more….and I want to be more…more ready for it in 2011. Last year I was 20th age group and didn’t not have my best run. I was also studing for my boards and in the midst of planning a wedding. So this year I have none of that but I will have my focus on the long term goal of IM Louisville….each day progress not perfection…

Fave quote:

“When I run by myself I have my most intimate thoughts. I look for meaning in some of my important memories, I work through present difficulties, and I try to chart the best course for my future. I also do a lot of dreaming when I run. I can’t tell you how many state championships I won in my mind back in high school, how many NCAA titles I won in my fantasies at the University of Colorado, and how many Olympic medals and major marathons I’ve won in my head in the past few years. ” -Kara Goucher, American long- distance runner and Champion