Eideh shoma mobarak! Last Sunday was the first day of spring, also marking the beginning of a new year for Iranians. It is a time filled with peace, love, family, and delicious food. I was lucky to be able to spend last weekend in the Bay Area with my parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. Here's to a happy and prosperous 1390!! Yea we're a little behind on the times, don't hate!
Rewind to the weekend before last. Remember I told you how much I hated Fiesta Island? And how I was determined to redeem myself at the St. Patty's Day 10K? Well, mission accomplished! I was MUCH happier at the end of the St. Patty's Day race. I still hate Fiesta Island (and still found it appropriate to spew obscenities at it during the race), but I didn't let it get me down during the run. I kept pace with my running buddy, and raced my way to a new 10K PR! The lines for pizza and beer after the race were reallllly long, so we settled for Souplantation brownies. We also got leprechaun hat medals at the finish. Win and win!
On Friday, I drove up to Agoura Hills for the Old Agoura 10K, rated one of the top 6 10Ks in the country by Runner's World. It was my friend Monica's first 10K, and I was all too happy to oblige her request for a running buddy! I have to say, this was the most challenging race I have done so far. The scenery was gorgeous (think Santa Monica Mountains, country roads, horse farms) and did not disappoint, but the hills! Oh, the hills! They definitely tested my running mettle. It was clear after the first mile that I wouldn't be anywhere close to a PR, but I was content with just enjoying the course, and not passing out on the wicked hills. It also didn't help that I realized my iPod was dead right at the start line (after a nasty battle with the washing machine...my headphones made it, my iPod wasn't so lucky), so I ran with no music. No music. It wasn't nearly as unpleasant as I thought it might be, but I won't be leaving my music at home anytime soon.
The start of the new year also happens to coincide with the beginning of my official training for the San Diego Rock n Roll 1/2 Marathon. 1 week down, 11 to go! Since I went crazy signing up for races, April is a 2 (possibly 3) race month for me. This coming Sunday, I have the Carlsbad 5000 5K, the so-called "fastest 5K in the world". Not intimidating at all! I haven't run a 5K since December, but I've done a lot of training and racing since then, so I'm aiming for a PR.
On April 17, as an homage to my humble running roots, I will be running the La Jolla Shores 5K. The La Jolla Shores 5K was my first official race last year, so it holds a lot of nostalgic value and serves as a reminder to myself of how far I've come in the past year (both in life and in running).
I am really, ridiculously excited to start running outside. Thank you spring and daylight savings!!
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