Grapestomp 10k Recap + Breakfast at The Rising Loafer

As I type this I am propped up in bed in my sweatpants, enjoying the lingering flavor from the last bit of pumpkin spice cinnamon bun that Brandon brought me home from Cinnaholic on Friday. Then after I finish this post I am going to get caught up on a few episodes of Parenthood. That’s my ideal evening, folks.

I know I haven’t said much about the 10k lately and it’s probably because I stopped training over a month ago. I originally planned on taking a week off from training {by the way, don’t do that} when we went to College Station last month. However, all of the excitement from planning our wedding has completely distracted me from running ever since. So I was definitely feeling a little apprehensive about the race but I decided I would run it anyway and just do my best.

Sunday morning started dark and early at 6:30 am and I ate a piece of whole grain toast with vanilla almond butter.

Justins

I can’t believe I waited this long to try this almond butter. It is so good! I tried a sample of their maple flavored almond butter last week and it was also good but I think I like the vanilla better. I also had a banana shortly after that to help prepare me for the race.

For fuel during the race, I really wanted to get Clif Shot Bloks after reading how helpful Sara thought they were but I completely forgot to look for them when I went grocery shopping over the weekend. Instead, I packed a few dates in a Ziplock bag to have ready to go.

dates

The race was set to start at 8:15am and it was very chilly outside with temps in the low 40’s. I know some of you are hardcore and run in the snow with snotscicles hanging from your nostrils but I’m a Florida girl so I’m a big wuss when it’s cold. 

I wasn’t exactly prepared but I brought a headband that I had from our trip to Tahoe last winter to keep my ears warm and I used Coco’s body heat to help warm my hands.

Grapestomp 10K

She enjoyed the shoulder massage too.

Grapestomp 10K

Coco didn’t run the race though; she hung out with Brandon at the finish line until I was done.

The half marathoners started first and the rest of us had to patiently wait for our cue.

Grapestomp 10K

In the meantime, we snapped a picture of the grape guy who was also running the 10k.

Grapestomp 10K

It was pretty funny to watch the grapes bounce while he ran.

Then it was time to go! I didn’t take any pictures during the race because they would have been a blurry mess but it was a beautiful course. The path opened up to the vineyards with their changing leaves and the golden hills behind them and it made for a perfect view. It wasn’t overly crowded either.

I warmed up pretty quickly and took off my jacket and headband as I entered mile two, which made me wish I hadn’t worn them since it was something else to carry. There were also more hills than I was hoping for and I started to get pretty famished about half way through. I grabbed a PowerBar gel from one of the stands prior to the race so I ate {drank?} that at the three mile mark. It was actually my first time ever eating a gel and I didn’t want to put my mouth on the package {because of my severe germaphobia} so I attempted to pour it in my mouth while running. Yeah, that’s not a good idea. It ran down my chin and onto my chest, err…boob, so I looked like I was lactating the rest of the race. Awesome. Can’t wait to see those pictures!

A few minutes later, I felt another spark of energy and kept on truckin’. Even though my hips started to ache really bad around mile five, I pushed through it and finished somewhere around the 57 minute mark.

Grapestomp 10K

Sexy. Actually, I was staring directly at the water jugs in this picture because I couldn’t wait to go drink some.

I’m not sure exactly what time we started {like I said, somewhere around 5m 30s) and I forgot to stop my Garmin so that wasn’t much help in figuring out my actual time.

garmin

Regardless, I was so happy to finish and to say that I ran my first 10k! It was actually pretty fun. By that point, I worked up a good appetite so we all went to breakfast at The Rising Loafer in downtown Pleasanton. I ordered a veggie omelet which comes with their delicious homemade banana bread.

Rising Loafer

It’s cut because I almost took a bite before remembering to take a picture!

Brandon had the stuffed croissant sandwich with egg whites and cheese.

Rising Loafer

And we split a stack of fluffy nine grain pancakes.

IMG_3344

I know, it looks a lot but breakfast is my favorite meal so I often order more than I can handle. We Brandon cleared our plates though.

Well, I can say that I really enjoyed running the 10k and would definitely do another one but I’m not quite sure I’m ready for a half marathon. I think it would be a great accomplishment but I’m hesitant because of the many injuries I see with long distance running. I know everyone’s experience is different but honestly, I’m not sure I love running enough to do it for almost two hours, nonstop, and risk hurting myself. That and I am really itching to get back into BodyAttack.

I saw there were a lot of races this weekend! Did you run one and if so, how did it go?

If you watch Parenthood, do you cry at every single episode or are my hormones completely out of whack?