Race Recap: Love to Run St. Charles, MO

Only a few hours away, the I Love to Run race in St. Charles, MO is race #10 in the marathon-a-month challenge!

A last minute decision to stay overnight in St. Charles before the race allowed me to meet up with a cousin who lives nearby. What a great decision it was! Not only did I get more sleep before the race, but I had a wonderful dinner with my cousin that allowed me to really hear what was going on in her life. This one-on-one conversation allowed us to connect in ways that we don't get to at other family gatherings, and it reminded me of my goal to take care of my community while on this challenge.

Not only did I have a wonderful chat with her, but I connected the following day with another friend while driving back home.

This was the first year that I Love to Run St. Charles offered a full marathon distance. With an extensive trail system in the area, this was a multi-surface race course covering paved bike paths, packed dirt trails, highway off-ramps, city streets, and just about everything in between. The latter part of the race included a series of downed trees on muddy hiking paths which required some care to cross. I counted 4 downed trees, and this part of the course was looped, so the trees were obstacles to be crossed from both directions. What a fun challenge when your legs have already run 20 miles!

This is a small race, so if you're interested in trying to win your age group, it's a good one to run.

I managed to keep pace with the top portion of the runners for the day, finishing in second place between these two tough teen runners. They did a great job and it was their first marathon!

Now on to race #11!

Let's GO!

XOXO,

T