10K Race Today!

I ran a 10K today (my first race) - it went great! I finished at 1:04 exactly. The course was amazing... in a small town, so there were lots of trails through a "forrest"and a bridge over the BEAUTIFUL Santiam River. It had such a natural, mountain-esque feel to it. I would run this course again in a heartbeat.

I ran a "practice" 10K last week and finished in 66 minutes. I cried. It was a grueling run and kind of shot my confidence. I struggled the entire way, never finding my groove. I am a new runner, but I have to admit I felt like a double-digit pace (10:40 abouts) was embarassing and unacceptable.

Today went a lot better. I took sufficient rest days to ensure that I'd have ample energy. I ate a large breakfast a couple hours before the race and then several dates just before it started (dates provide instant glucose to the bloodstream). I took time to do some yoga and prayer before taking off. I was in the right mindset and felt great physically. So it really worked out for my good. I am so grateful!

So if you want the nitty-gritty, read on...

• Note to self: Don't bother drinking water, even hours before the race. I had to use the bathroom 3 times before the race! I was so nervous I'd pee my pants while running.
• I was NOT planning on running this fast. But there is something about being last that motivates you to keep up with the pack!
• It really isn't fun to look at somebody's backside for 30 straight minutes. Even if it's a very attractive one--it just drove me crazy that this woman was only ten yards ahead of me, and yet I could not catch up to her! It feels like you are going nowhere because you are looking at a destination and you never "get there"!!
• I finally caught up to this woman about half-way and struck up a conversation. We chatted for much the remainder of the race. I'm glad she kept me at her pace!
• I actually ran all but probably 5 minutes of the race. That is a HUGE accomplishment for me!
• I was breathing harder than I usually do, because usually I take that as a sign to back off. But today since I was motivated to keep running without slowing, I reached a big milestone in my discovery that it is okay to breathe hard, and to keep at that pace! Big epiphany for me!

The race seemed very long and was taxing physically, but it was a BLAST! It was so much fun, and I can't wait to run another one!! I am actually more excited to run a better 10K (or a 30-minute 5K...my goal for May 5th) than to increase my distance. I have never been a competitive athlete before and this is just so much fun to try to beat my previous times!

I started running because I knew I needed to be more active. I wanted "in" on the Jones Family Running Clique. But now, I am running because I LOVE IT! Now I feel like a RUNNER and now I want to keep running for years to come! :)