August - Where have all the races gone?

Since this is my first year racing, I didn't really understand the cycle of racing in DC. Just like Congress and the rest of the population, apparently there isn't much around in August. My family and I took a trip of a lifetime to Alaska the beginning of the month. I seriously considered finding a race there to run, as I was sure the lower temperatures would be easier to run. My weather streak had held all year do far, but at some point the fates had to step in right? In the end I am glad I didn't try to squeeze a race in during our trip. So that left 2 weekends in which to find a local race.

OMG could my thighs jiggle anymore??

I ended up running the Leesburg 5k. I was signed up for the 20k looking towards my half marathon in October. The finishing time requirement concerned me and I was exchanging emails with the race staff up to the evening before the race. In the end, I decided not to push it and dropped back to the 5k. After the race results came out and I realized they had kept the course open quite a bit longer then advertised, I was a little mad. Another interesting tidbit about this race was that I had a HUGE PR. I sliced 3 minutes off my time to 37:00. I have to be honest, I am a little concerned about the race course and if it was truly 3.1. The race was hosted by a local racing store and seemed to be well established, although it has been a 10k/20k combo in the past.

Although I race this race by myself - since I was driven by the calendar and everyone else is smarter then to sign up for an August race - I ran into a good friend at the end of the course. She has also been working on becoming a runner and it was so much fun to catch up.