My first race of 2014 is tomorrow

Tomorrow, I am participating in my first race of the new year, the Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge Run, and I am really looking forward to it for a number of reasons!

1. I get to be one of the first people to cross the newest bridge connecting St. Louis to the east side!  I will be sure to take a lot of pictures tomorrow as I run across the bridge.
2. It will be the second run I've completed this week and I'm going a little stir crazy, so it will be good to get some fresh air and run.  We have had snow and bitterly cold weather again this week, so outdoor running has been out of the question and I haven't been able to make it over to the rec center at work.  Excuses, I realize, but I'm also fighting some sort of chest congestion, so I didn't want to push my luck.  
3. This race is a 6K, which is neat, because it isn't a typical race distance.  Stan Musial's number when he played for the Cards was 6, so this race is a 6K in his honor.  This equates to about 3.75 miles, which is a good distance for me at the moment; not too long and not too short.  
4. The race swag is pretty sweet.  I like the Cardinal red shirt with a rendering of the bridge on the front, as well as the race bib and the commemorative medallion we received.  I love having the medallion as a little piece of St. Louis history.  My great-great Grandfather helped build another prominent bridge in St. Louis (the Eads Bridge) and while I didn't help build this bridge by any means, I think the medallion will be a neat memento to pass along to my boys and their kids and so on.  Someday, maybe my great-great grand kids will say My great-great Grandma ran across the Stan Musial bridge when it first opened!  Pretty cool!

   

   Front of the commemorative medallion

   

   Back of the commemorative medallion

   
   

   

   Race bib, shirt, and medallion

5. My Mama is coming to volunteer at the race, so I will get to see her smiling face at the water station near the finish line!  I love that my mom is getting involved with races, too!  
6. This race is the beginning of my 2014 race season and I have a pretty full calendar this spring/summer!  My upcoming races include the St. Patrick's Day 5 mile race in March, my half in April, the Zoo 5K in May, the Komen St. Louis Race in June, and many more!  

I suppose I should call it a night, since I have an early wake-up call in the morning!  Stay tuned tomorrow for a race re-cap.

"The race is not always to the swift, but to those who keep on running."