Today was my first 10K race and only the third time I have ran over 6 miles and the ninth time I have ran over 5 miles so I definitely had butterflies in my stomach with this race.
Thursday and Friday, I made sure I was drinking at least 36oz of water each day and eliminated soft drinks and junk food from my diet and focused on eating healthier. I went to bed Friday night feeling pretty confident that I could finish the 10K in under 75 mins and that was my goal.
Pre-race, I met up with other iRUNners. Meeting a group prior to race, really helps me eliminate those pre-race butterflies and helps me relax.
The race...the first 4 miles went great, actually better than expected. I did start out at a much faster pace than I wanted but it was downhill. I listened to my body and not my watch and kept a comfortable pace which was my plan from the start. My first 4 mile splits were 10:15, 10:19, 11:10 and 11:40. At the 5K mark, I was at 33 mins, my third fastest 5K time ever which was somewhat surprising given this was a 10K race and had another 5K left to go.
About 4.5 miles, I started to feel a blister forming on the ball of my right foot and by mile 5, it started hurting so bad that every step was becoming increasing painful. I kept thinking, how in hell am I going to be able to do 13.1 miles in 7 weeks when I can barely get through 5 now. Frustrated and in pain, I just kept going, trying whatever possible to take my mind off the pain but every step was a constant reminder. When we turned onto E. Broad Street, I only had one goal in mind...just get up that darn hill! Going uphill hurt even worse since I tend to run on the balls of my feet and shorten my stride. That meant more steps on the part of my foot that hurts the worse. I finally made it to the top and tried to open it up the final 200 yards which was downhill but my legs were not having any of it. I just couldn't go any faster than a 9:00 pace at that point. I finally crossed the finish line in 1:11:48 (11:36 pace) and I don't think I have ever been so glad to see the finish line in a race before!
Afterwards, I met up with a few DailyMilers which is always great to meet fellow runners. Being an introvert, it's sometimes hard for me to meet new people but running has opened a brand new door for me.
At this point, I'm still questioning on whether to continue half marathon training or move onto an advanced 10k program instead and focus on just 5Ks, 8Ks and 10Ks for now. I just feel a half marathon is too much too soon and I guess when in doubt, it's better to be safe than sorry.
Weather: 39°F - 46°F, Sunny, Winds N 6mph
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