First 10K!

Yesterday I ran the Valley 4^th Run 10K. My second race ever (first race was a 5K in May). I got up early and had my normal pre-run breakfast - oatmeal.

I dressed up a little to be festive.

Being the cautious over-planner that I am, I arrived very early and was the first to register for the day. Don’t worry, I brought a book and spent some time reading in the car pre-race.

Then I met up with two hot mamas who were running the 5K (with strollers!). We spent the hour before the race playing with the babies and chatting. This was a great distraction for my nerves!

The race was 2 laps for a 5K and 4 laps for a 10K. It got started shortly after 9am and we were off. First lap around I felt great, but knew I was going too fast (low 8 pace). I have never been able to do negative splits – something I really must train for!

It was hot but I kept going. I knew I did not want to walk. It’s a personal thing that I like to be able to complete it without ever walking. I managed it but I saw people who walked a bit and then later passed me – so maybe not the smartest decision, but my personal goal.

It really helped to have a high school friend and my two hot mama running buddies cheering for me! They really helped me on those last two laps.

Going in I knew I wanted to come in under 60 minutes. But in the end, I just wanted to complete it without passing out from the heat. When I got close, I saw the clock was at 56 and hauled it on in to the finish. I stopped my nike GPS a few seconds late but it said 56:12. I know the race clock said about the same (it was 56:08 when I ran past into the finish). The official race time was 57 minutes but there were people complaining the times were about 1 minute off.

Either way I’m happy with my time! And happy to have successfully completed my first 10K! I rewarded myself with ice cream & pool time to celebrate the 4th of July!