This was only my second 10K ever and I hadn't run more than four miles at a time since December. Plus, I knew I was on a time crunch, as my family would be arriving 2.5 hours after the race started to pick me up for a wedding. Needless to say, I was more than a little nervous. Mostly, I wasn't sure I'd finish in time to be ready. I wasn't sure how "fast" I could be since I hadn't run that far in a long time.
But it was my first outdoor race of 2015, so there was no way I was going to miss it. I picked up my packet at the Animal Rescue League on Friday. Thankfully the pick-up area was away from the animals in need of homes or I might have come home with another cat.
The day of the race, I got up and went through the same routine I did on the day of my half. I ate the same thing -- peanut butter toast with some Spark to wash it down -- and gave myself plenty of time to just relax before I headed downtown.
The race started and ended at Principal Park (home of the Iowa Cubs), which situated right on the river. So it was pretty, but it was also only in the 30s, so the wind coming off the water was kind of chilly. Surprisingly, I immediately found two girls I knew from work. I talked and walked with them while we waited for the race to start. I also ran into a guy who works at the brewery with me and another friend from college.
At 10 a.m., the girls took off. The guys had to wait five more minutes before they were let out of the chute. I made it about a half-mile before the first guy passed me. I'm calling that a tiny victory. The course was nice. We ran down MLK Parkway, wound through Gray's Lake Park, and came back across the river. It was brisk out, but once we got moving, I warmed up in a hurry.
Overall, I felt good during the whole run. I could tell I wasn't used to running that much (or outdoors), but I kept moving and I maintained a pretty steady pace for all 6.2 miles.
While I'm not overly concerned with my speed, I like to set benchmark finish time goals for each race. Here were my goals for the race:
But it was my first outdoor race of 2015, so there was no way I was going to miss it. I picked up my packet at the Animal Rescue League on Friday. Thankfully the pick-up area was away from the animals in need of homes or I might have come home with another cat.
The day of the race, I got up and went through the same routine I did on the day of my half. I ate the same thing -- peanut butter toast with some Spark to wash it down -- and gave myself plenty of time to just relax before I headed downtown.
The race started and ended at Principal Park (home of the Iowa Cubs), which situated right on the river. So it was pretty, but it was also only in the 30s, so the wind coming off the water was kind of chilly. Surprisingly, I immediately found two girls I knew from work. I talked and walked with them while we waited for the race to start. I also ran into a guy who works at the brewery with me and another friend from college.
At 10 a.m., the girls took off. The guys had to wait five more minutes before they were let out of the chute. I made it about a half-mile before the first guy passed me. I'm calling that a tiny victory. The course was nice. We ran down MLK Parkway, wound through Gray's Lake Park, and came back across the river. It was brisk out, but once we got moving, I warmed up in a hurry.
Overall, I felt good during the whole run. I could tell I wasn't used to running that much (or outdoors), but I kept moving and I maintained a pretty steady pace for all 6.2 miles.
While I'm not overly concerned with my speed, I like to set benchmark finish time goals for each race. Here were my goals for the race:
Good = 1:20:00-1:25:00
Great = 1:10:00-1:15:00
Awesome = 1:05:00-1:10:00
My time -- 1:13:28
Great!!!
I'm really happy with my time. It's five minutes faster than the 10K I did last June, and I didn't really feel ready, so it's a win all the way around.
And I made it home in plenty of time for my family to pick me up for the wedding.
I'm eagerly looking forward to my next race, which is a 5K, on April 11.
+++++
Last week's workouts
Friday: Off
Saturday: Leprechaun Chase 10K
Saturday: Leprechaun Chase 10K
Sunday: Off
Monday: Off
Tuesday: BodyPump + 1 mile on the treadmill
Wednesday: 2.5 miles on the treadmill
Thursday: Barre class (I'm so excited this included in my membership now ... and that it fits in my schedule)Tuesday: BodyPump + 1 mile on the treadmill
Wednesday: 2.5 miles on the treadmill
I broke my rule of never missing Mondays, but I woke up late and then was exhausted by day's end after working in a building where it was a stifling 80ish degrees. I still think I had a good week of workouts though, so I'm not mad at myself. But the week definitely felt "off" because I skipped that Monday workout. And I miss getting those morning sweats in.
That is amazing!!! Congratulations on completing that run and in a faster time then before! You rock :)
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