I did the Beat Beethoven Run this past weekend at Alvernia University and it was awesome because I could walk to the race. It was right around the corner from my house, score! Sunday was a perfect day for a race with the sun shining and cool temperatures.
Joe and I decided to take Athena because it would be beneficial for her in a number of ways. For those of you who don’t know, Athena is our 10 month old pit bull. She is a sweet heart with a ton of energy who loves being around people, big and small. I like taking her to races because it allows others to see that pit bulls shouldn’t be stereotyped as “vicious, aggressive, dog fighters.” The response we got from taking her to the run was AWESOME! I can’t tell you how many people came up to pet her, had their children pet her and others who talked about being advocates for pit bulls. I also proclaimed my advocacy for pit bulls and how it is all in how you train them. We care about Athena greatly and give her everything she needs to be a gentle and lovable dog. We would do this with any type of dog, whether she was a pit bull or not. Athena also had an opportunity to practice all of her skills we have been working on each Friday night with a dog trainer. Athena had to sit and stay as well as ignore children who were throwing a ball she couldn’t have. While I was running, Joe said she did great waiting for me!
Now onto the run, well the run was quite difficult and extremely hilly! As I said before, the run was held on Alvernia’s campus and The Reading Symphony Youth Orchestra played for all those attending. The premise of the run was to finish before the orchestra was done playing. They played for 60 minutes after the race began. Yes, I did beat Beethoven and I was very glad when the race was over.
First let’s talk about the positives of the race:
- Many volunteers who helped to make the race run smoothly
- Prompt start at 10:02AM, hardly any delay
- Well laid out course with appropriate markings and volunteers
- 2 water stations
- Snacks for after the race – bagels, peanut butter, fruit and water
Next let’s talk about the negatives of the race:
- Lots of hills – they never ended!
- Doing the 5k two times for a 10k
- Running past the finish line and looping around to the finish
Well, there were definitely more positives to this run than negatives, which is a great thing! I enjoyed the race overall and sometimes you have to suck it up and run hills. I don’t think many people would say they like hills but they only make you a stronger runner and seem to help with your endurance. I finished the race in 50:07 and I surely did Beat Beethoven! Did you do a run this past weekend? How did it go? Did you set a PR?
I have a new idea in mind and goal in mind about races I will tell you about soon! Stay tuned
