My First 10k

I ran my first 10k race on Saturday (6.2 miles). It was the Bridal Veil Falls 10k...we ran 3.1 miles up the trail and 3.1 miles down. It was a good experience and I'm glad I did it. I was nervous before it started, as I am with all firsts. But once I got running I felt better and my nerves calmed down. The challenge was figuring out how to pace myself. I think I did a fairly good job because I met my goal. I wanted to finish the race in 60 minutes and I did. Almost exactly, give or take 30 seconds. The official results aren't posted yet. Anyway, I think I could have gone a little faster had I not slowed down to grab a drink they were handing out after mile two. I grabbed gatorade before I realized they had water available. Bad idea. I guzzled it down and got rid of the cup and went on my way. It didn't sit well with me and slowed me down for the next couple of miles as it sloshed around in my tummy. When my stomach isn't feeling well it's hard for me to run fast. Oh well, I learned from that and I won't do it again. Anyway, I felt pretty good for mile 5, but during mile six I got this shooting pain in my back. I ran through it, but man that was tough. I sped up for the last quarter mile or so and finished strong. Boy was I happy to see that finish line! Brad came to watch me finish and took a couple of pictures of me. Thanks for coming and supporting me, honey!

I must admit that I don't love running. It's growing on me, though. I mostly do it because it's good exercise, I like the way I feel when I'm done, and it feels like I'm accomplishing something when I tackle each mile. It's been fun running outdoors the past couple of weeks and enjoying nature. I also run because I can. I never thought I'd be able to run this much due to my feet and knee issues. But thankfully, at this point in time, I've been running with minimal pain. As I was running the race, I couldn't help but think about what a blessing it is to be able to use my body to run through such beautiful scenery and to be able to push myself beyond limits I thought I was capable of. Our bodies really are amazing, with how they are able to heal and adapt over time. Especially when we pay attention to what our bodies need and give them proper rest.

So basically, it was a positive experience and I'm looking forward to my next race in less than three weeks. I want to improve my time by 2 minutes. It should be even more fun because I'll be running it with Brad and Julie, my sister. This is a fun new hobby and it will be fun to see how I improve over the next few years. Here are the pictures that we got from the race. As you can see, I was pretty focused at the end. I had to pass that girl!

The finish line is in sight!

So close...just a little longer...keep breathing!

My support! Thanks for coming!