WOOHOO! My last race of the year!
And what a cool race it was. As with many races this also doubled as a charity event, which is one of the reasons I enjoy doing these races. This event was hosted by Martha’s Village & Kitchen, one of the oldest and largest community centers providing services for the homeless in the Coachella Valley and Riverside County. They do great work and this race has steadily become of the most popular events in the Coachella Valley. What’s so cool about this race is it runs right through the middle of the most popular high-end shopping areas in the Valley. El Paseo in Palm Desert. I’ve lived in this valley for 25 years and in that time not once have I set foot on El Paseo until today. Rather than shopping at Gucci, Ralph Lauren or Burberry I’m more of a swap-meet kind of gal.
The race was pretty easy to get to, being pre-registered made it a breeze, just check in and get your shirt. Afterwards it was just a matter of waiting for the race to start.
Interesting side note, while I was there I had the great opportunity to meet with my Congressman Dr Raul Ruiz. I’m kind of a politics nerd so I was super pleased to meet him and have a brief chat about some issues that mattered to me.
This race also doubled as a virtual 5k hosted by the awesome bloggers Andy from Running My Ass Off and Lonnie from Team Neon Running. These guys do a great job of creating an online community of runners and getting us moving. Their run benefited the Wounded Warrior Project, one of my favorite charities. Way to go on another well organized virtual race guys!
It was a good race, I made decent time. Finished in 37 minutes 37 seconds. Not my best but definitely happy that I’m not averaging a 5K in under 40 minutes which was not the case early in the year and I find that pretty cool!
I also an into a friend, Nadia Tovar, who runs a website dedicated to news and community outreach of Latinas in the Coachella Valley. It’s called MyChicaTopia. It’s an awesome website with fun and interesting things happening locally. She wrote a story on the event and I even had a chance to be in the article. Thanks Nadia!
I enjoyed this race. It was a great way to start the Thanksgiving Holiday with something to give me energy and reduce the potential post-holiday meal guilt. I’m looking forward to having this be an annual tradition. Rather than a time goal, my goal next year is to get family and friends in this race. It’s for a good case and it’s family friendly. Looking forward to next year’s Thanksgiving 5k!
321pounds 