Will Run For Ice Cream

Looking back on the races I have done so far this year, I have done a race that involves chocolate, and I have now done a race that involves ice cream. I'm sensing a pattern here. Anyway, this was my third year participating in the Blue Bell Fun Run, and it was just as much fun as it has been in the past. When my alarm went off in the early 5:00 hour, I seriously considered turning it off and going back to sleep, but I knew I would have a good time, so I dragged myself out of bed, quickly got dressed and brushed my teeth, grabbed a banana and to-go pack of peanut butter, and flew out the door to meet Alex, who so kindly drove Katie and me to the race.

Year one

Year two

Murchison ladies

We had a great time on the drive over, so that made it a little easier to forget how early it still was. We were also greeted with an incredible Texas sunrise, that I obviously couldn't resist capturing (and Instagramming).

That's what I love about Texas

The Race

It was a bit chilly when we walked out the door this morning, but it quickly warmed up and it was the perfect temperature when the race started at 8:30am. It was also a beautiful day, and because we were in Brenham, we couldn't resist taking a picture in the bluebonnets before we started the race.

Dream Team

Immediately after this picture was taken, we headed to the top of the hill to get ready for the start of the race. It started right on time, which I really appreciated, and Katie and I were off. We stuck together for the majority of the race, or at least in very close proximity to one another. We run at a pretty similar speed, and we were both feeling a bit unprepared for this race, so we still managed to run at the same pace.I didn't really hit my groove until mile four, because before that, I was struggling. My legs were pretty stiff and I was just having a hard time with some of the hills - I'll blame that on my lack of hill training. But once I hit mile four, I felt as though I could have run forever. Just kidding, but I had enough strength to make it up the final hill. I looked at my watch and I think it took me between three and four minutes to make it to the top. It was rough, but the best part is that all you have left is the downhill to the finish line (and to the ice cream).

Alex finished in a quick 43 minutes, while Katie and I finished right around 52 minutes. We were pretty pleased, but all three of us immediately commented on how sore our legs were already feeling. Getting out of bed tomorrow might be a little tougher than usual! After cooling off a bit, we started in on the ice cream and put our race numbers into the raffle. Much to our surprise, Alex won a coupon for a gallon of Blue Bell ice cream from his favorite grocer. Worth the drive to Brenham, I'd say!

My gallon of choice (Source)

We got back to Austin right around 12:30pm, so I made myself a dairy-free pizza for lunch, took a speedy shower while it was in the oven, and started to work on yet another paper. I took a break to do some baking, and now I'm about to pass out on the couch before I babysit tonight. I hope you are enjoying your Saturday!