Well, it finally happened: spring came to the mid-Atlantic. Heck, it almost feels like we bypassed spring and went straight to the middle of summer with record high temperatures across the region. Except for the leaves not being on the trees, it would be an honest mistake to walk outside and believe it was August, kind of like sometimes on Thursday, you think it’s Friday – and while usually this is a disappointment, it does mean you have an extra day to get things done. Same for this weather pattern we’re having: it feels like summer, but is still spring so we have another couple of months to get things done before the heat really gets to us. Blackberry Winter is a spring cold snap, but what’s the opposite of an Indian Summer? Cowboy Spring? Either way, take advantage of it.
Start this weekend by racing in the Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10k in Richmond on Saturday, April 13, 2013. This is the perfect opportunity to ease into running season and stretch those legs after their long winter inside. With a relatively flat course up and down historic Monument Avenue, and with blooming dogwoods as motivation, you may even knock off the race rust with a PR. If you want to race, sign up at the Expo on Friday night at the Arthur Ashe Athletic Center, there will be no race-day entry. Be sure and tour the vendor booths for great giveaways and scope the latest and greatest products from the race sponsors.
Even if you are not racing, this is one of the biggest races in the South, and definitely one of the rowdiest. The field of 35,000 runners race to the cheers of spectators and the sounds of live bands playing up and down the route. With a field this big and with warm weather in the forecast, you can also expect there to be plenty of costumed runners on the course. This one is just as fun for the spectators as it is for the racers.
