Chocoholic Run St. George, UT
I’ve decided in retirement, all I want to do is travel to run races! I think it’s so fun to go to a new city, stay in a hotel, and run a local race. Which is exactly what I did this weekend, and had a blast!
I signed up for the Chocoholic Frolic in St. George Utah because it’s the middle of winter, and going south where it’s a few degrees warmer sounded like a great idea. Also, because they were offering a 10K, which doesn’t happen too often in racing. It all 5K’s and half marathons around here. And also, because they were offering chocolate and a cute shirt!
Because of the holiday weekend (it’s presidents day tomorrow), St. George is packed with travelers from the Salt Lake area. So, I stayed in nearby Cedar City, which was a solid $100 cheaper!
Saturday morning, I drove into St. George and checked in at the race. The race shirt was so perfect! The shirt was a long sleeve hoodie, that I just love. (and that medal!! Don’t you just love it. Looks like a Hershey Kiss!
It was a cold, but sunny morning. The race started right at 9am
The course was marked well, with plenty of people directing you. There was a few water stops, and one stop with chocolate for snacking (I think they had M&M’s)
The entire race was run on a city paved trail, which I LOVED. No fighting with cars or a need for police escorts. Just runners and their trail!
I ran my guts out. I’ve been doing so much treadmill running, that I forget how much effort I need to run outside, when the elevation and terrain is inconsistent and there is no belt moving under you for help. Although I felt great during the run, I was definitely nauseous after I crossed the finish line.
I also think I was nauseous because I normally run on an empty stomach. But because the run wasn’t till 9 am, I ate breakfast. I had some hard boiled eggs and oatmeal. While that’s a normal breakfast for me,the breakfast was having a tough time settling when I started running.
Regardless, I was pretty happy with my time. The race website said my pace was 9:14 per mile, so I’ll take my strava one of 9:05 instead! haha
They did have some fun food at the recovery tables, but unfortunately, I was still nauseous and couldn’t eat it! Also, I’m on bikini prep, so it was best I stayed away!
I can’t wait to do another running race! As a family, we’re signed up for a Spartan next month, but the next road race I’m signed up for isn’t until the end of June. Maybe I can squeeze another one in before that.