This past weekend I ran the Merge 25K in celebration of Merge Records' 25th Anniversary. Since I knew I'd be out of town during my running group's scheduled race (the Rock 'n' Roll Raleigh Marathon), I figured this would be a good alternative. Plus I was excited to run a course that ran from Chapel Hill to downtown Durham, my two homes for the last 7 years!
This race ended up being a great pick. Everything from the organization of the event to the perfect springtime weather we had that morning was amazing. My goal this race was to keep an 11-minute mile pace the entire way through. Despite several huge hills throughout the course (who knew Durham had some hills that could rival Chapel Hill?!), I stayed right on track with my goal pace and finished in 2:52! It was such a relief to cross that finish line and not have to run an extra 10 miles like I did last November. I think 25Ks may be my new favorite mileage to train for :)
The after-race festivities were just as fun as the course. It was awesome to finish in one of my favorite areas of Durham, enjoy some food trucks, free beer, live music, and see several of my friends and running group members cross the finish line. Bella even got to meet another greyhound!
Thanks for the great race Merge Records! Here's to hoping they'll put on an event like this every year :)
