will run for chocolate

i’m notorious for signing my husband up for runs without telling him.  often when the confirmations land in his inbox he considers them junk mail until i inform him later that i’ve actually registered us for yet another long run.  i joke that it’s good for his heart.  kind of like vegetables, quinoa, and water.  he usually goes along with it without giving me too much grief. not usually the case with the food so i figure he considers running the lesser of two 'evils.'  this past weekend our run was in minneapolis.  it was the hot chocolate 15k.  only a few hours from home, we turned it into a long weekend getaway and left on friday morning; naturally a stop at the mall of america was in order.   

after learning about the hot chocolate run from a girlfriend i knew it was something i wanted to do; i mean the reason i run  is to eat what i want….which is typically anything chocolate.  throughout the run and after your showered with chocolate treats including a few ton vat of chocolate fondue.  seriously, yum!  i considered it a win-win.  cody, not so much. 

at the start

we trained like we do for other runs with the intent of enjoying this one and soaking in the experience.  maybe even walking a little.  much to my surprise that didn't happen.  we ran the whole thing in did it in 1 hour and 23 minutes.  honestly i was impressed. 

finisher's mug with the goods 

downtown minneapolis 

aside from the chocolate after party the best part of the morning was running through downtown minneapolis.  running nine miles anywhere you cover a lot of ground on foot.  in minneapolis most of the run was along, and over the river.  this meant we ran through several riverfront neighborhoods with the cutest homes and charming little breakfast cafes.  the entire area was full of character and i'd love to go back for another visit.

despite leaving the mall of america empty handed, i really enjoyed the whole weekend with my husband.  neither of us have taken a vacation day since Christmas and with all that we've had going on in our work lives it was overdue.  weekend getaways can easily become a thing of the past for most married couples but their great for creating memories.  i'm reminded every time we travel somewhere new just how much i enjoy cody's company.