In honor of the Boston Marathon today, I’ll share with you my 10k race report….which is not nearly as exciting. Sorry. *Update: Spreaking of the Boston Marathon…thoughts and prayers for all of the runners and spectators!

Ahh the Monument 10K…my favorite race, ever. Run in my favorite city, the Ukrop’s Monument 10k takes runners down Richmond’s Monument Avenue which is lined with beautiful historic homes, great shade trees, and some of the best volunteers and spectators I’ve ever experienced…..oh and of course there are the monuments (Stonewall Jackson, Arthur Ashe, Robert E. Lee…just to name a few)! This year there were over 38,000 runners and walkers. It’s kind of a big deal. It’s one of the largest races I’ve participated in and somehow manages to be one of the best organized races, as well. (if you’ve ever run a poorly organized race before, you know how crucial this is)

This year the weather could not have been better! Perfect racing conditions. I headed down to Richmond Friday afternoon and got out of the expo in time for dinner with my sister (and niece) and a Richmond sunset. Afterwards I settled in at a friend’s house for a great night’s sleep – they were out of town, but graciously let me crash! (Thanks and love you guys!)

The next morning came awfully early. I watched the sun rising as I crossed the river into downtown. If you’ve ever gone to a bar in the fan district you know how difficult parking can be – now add roughly 40,000 people. I had actually arranged to take a shuttle, but lucked out and found a spot just a couple blocks up from the finish line. As I walked to the start, I got to see the Kids Run….so cute. Get ready, Graham, that’ll be you in a few years!

I have no complaints from this race. I love everything about it. Yes, it’s a crowded race. Yes, you have to run on cobblestone, which can be challenging. Yes, sometimes you want to stop running and cash in on all of the free booze offered along the way. But…I only got stuck in one water station traffic jam, I didn’t bite it on the bumpy cobblestone, and I didn’t get drunk on the course 😉 And I set a personal record: 52:22.

The best part of the race: WHITE HOUSE ROLLS! As I approached the food tent post race, I thought “Eww bagels.” Then I remembered that they don’t give out bagels, they give out Ukrop’s White House Rolls! Then I thought, “Jackpot!” If you’re from the Richmond area, you probably know how delicious these little gems are. And if you know me, you probably know my slight obsession with carbs, especially rolls. I could eat my weight (and your weight) in Ukrop’s rolls.

Thanks, RVA for a great race weekend. I’ll see you again next year!

xoxo,
Jo