Running Into Life

I have been MIA on my blog for a while and I have to admit that it has been nice to take a little break after two very disappointing marathons. For the last month or so I have been trying to mend my “broken” inner runner and running just to run. It’s been a relaxing few weeks which has helped remind me how much I love running. I think I was putting unnecessary pressure on myself for the CIM and RNRAZ and it took its toll. But now I’m back, baby, and I feel great!

I signed up for the Run for Ryan House 10K this past weekend and I was a little surprised how much I enjoyed the exhilaration of race day. I was flyin’ solo at that morning, so it was just me, my nervous excitement and the road. The only other 10K I’ve raced was in 2008 when I was still a newbie to running and I was training for my first half marathon, so I didn’t really know what to expect of myself for this race. But it turned out that my no-stress running lately left me with loose legs and no agenda other than to conquer the crazy hills and finish with a decent time.

The morning started off breezy and cool, but as long as I kept moving around it wasn’t so bad. The announcer for the event did an awesome job keeping everyone pumped up and energized while we waited for the start, which was a big help to me since I didn’t have anyone to chat with to keep my mind off of the task ahead. When the horn sounded and we were off, I felt great. The first mile or so was pretty much flat, but then came the SBD (silent but deadly) hills. I swear they crept up out of nowhere and lasted for several miles. Living in an area where there are no hills to practice on means I struggle with getting through them during a race. But to my surprise, I was able to activate my go-go-gadget legs to keep my pace up. Carrying my water for this race also helped. No slowing down to grab a glass of water which inevitably ends up all over my face and shirt instead of in my mouth! The last mile felt good. I actually caught up with the tail end of the 5K participants who started after the 10K, which I admit was an awesome feeling! With only one last set of hills to get through before the end, I knew I was on pace to end with a time I’d be ok with. I eeked out the last bit of energy for the finish and crossed the line a happy runner.

I ended with a chip time of 54:06! Say what?! Was that me in those shoes? Hell yeah! I finished 5th in my age group (out of 28) and 37th overall for women (out of 185). I consider myself an average runner, so finishing in the middle of the pack is my norm. Being in the top 20% is a feat for me!

Lesson learned from this race: having a little confidence in my running makes a huge difference. I’ve also learned that having a race event to look forward to is important to me. What’s up next? I might do the Rock N Roll half marathon in San Diego in June. Until then, I’m going to try to keep my mind clear and my training as stress-free as I can. I do have a goal time in mind for the half, but I’m going to try to not let it pressure me too much.