Good morning world!  I feel GREAT today for one very simple reason:

Welcome to PR Town!

While I will save my full race recap for later, here’s the cliff notes version:

• Race Conditions – Just about perfect.  Nice cool temperatures set the stage for a great race
• Race Gear – This was probably the most comfortable race outfit I have put together to date (and, if I do say so myself, also the cutest).  No chafing, no riding up.  Everything stayed in place and kept me cool.
• Physical Condition – All of my preparation over the last 10 months since my last half has really paid off!  I picked a goal pace that I knew was manageable and felt totally relaxed and in control.  I really truly had fun and the miles flew by.  I was in my finish line approach before I knew it!
• Improved Race Organization – I did this race last year and it was definitely not my favorite.  I’ll admit, a big part of that was my own lack of preparation, but Disney made some definite improvements to the organization of the race this year that made it a really pleasant experience.  Some minor changes to the course were also a great addition this year! From a spectator perspective, I hear the difference was night and day.  My mom and husband (my cheering squad) were pleasantly surprised.
• A Very Unexpected PR – My expectations for this race were not lofty.  Based on my training runs I thought there was a good chance I would PR but I don’t think I expected to run this fast!  My last race and most recent PR was the 2012 Princess Half Marathon at the end of February (2:08:53).  Well I definitely blew that out of the water with my 2:00:27 finish last night!  A very pleasant surprise to say the least.

I have a little soreness in my right knee (I think IT band related) but overall I feel pretty good today.  No weirdness in my achilles tendons like I often have after a hard effort.  I am planning to take today as a nice, relaxing reward for all of my hard work!  Expect a full race recap either tonight or tomorrow – that will probably depend if I decide I owe myself a nice nap today.

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Did any other runner PR at the Wine & Dine Half last night?  Have you ever completely surprised yourself with a PR?

What’s your favorite post-race reward?  What does your typical day-after-race-day look like?