Hot Chocolate

Yesterday, I ran my first ever 15K!  I was pretty nervous about it -- I've never run that far before and I'm still not fully acclimated to Colorado's high inclines and low oxygen levels.  But thanks to adrenaline and my adorable cheering section, I managed to meet my lofty goal of running the whole race without stopping, and even hit a faster pace than expected: 9:15/mile!

At the starting line with the VanBerschots, who were my motivation for signing up in the first place.

Meanwhile, Daddy and the kids put together some motivational signs.  

("Go Philip" is a deep cut joke that I'm not even sure I fully understand...)

Danny's sign said, "I want Mommy to win."  Obviously, he was aiming a bit higher than I was.

Waiting for Mommy at mile 9.

Jill came up with some interesting cheers.

This amazing reception pumped me up enough for a final sprint to the finish line!

Part of the swag for finishing the race was a tray with a cup of thick hot chocolate, and also a bunch of goodies to dip in melted chocolate sauce.  As you can tell from the state of their faces, my cheerleaders were not shy about taste testing everything.

Me and my support system.

The whole race-day crew.

Diving into the hot chocolate ball pit.

I think we were all winners at the Hot Chocolate 15K!