Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Update on 10k Results
So, I did even better than I thought...According to the official results list my time was 1:01:54 (a tiny bit better than a 10 minute mile pace). The place info is WAY less impressive...The race was divided up into competitive and non-competitive categories. I signed up for competitive, b/c as I understood the flier, I thought non-competitive weren't getting timed. Apparently not. But as a competitive runner, I'm exceedingly slow. I finished 154th out of 176 runners in the competitive category (they didn't list the results for the race as a whole) and in my age group for the competitive category I finished 15th out of 17 runners. But, whatever! I'm psyched about that one minute time difference :)
Saturday, October 10, 2009
First 10k Result
When did this become a running blog??
This morning, I rolled out of bed around 5:30 and headed to Edwardsville for the Route 66 10k. And, it was COLD this morning! Earlier in the week, I saw a weather report that said it would be around 50 degrees at race time, so I went to Dick's Sporting Goods and bought some cold weather running clothes. Good thing...It was more like 35 degrees at race time. There were tons of runners from all over, and I have to say the Metro Milers (the club that hosted the run) was awesome! The volunteers from the club working the race were great, and the other runners were super friendly.
One lady I met asked me what my goal time was...I hadn't really allowed myself to think about it...I didn't feel ready going into this race, and since it was my first 10k, I kept telling myself not to be competitive with myself and just do the best I could and see where I ended up. But, I told her I hoped to finish in under 70 minutes. Seemed reasonable, right?
The run went through residential Edwardsville and then about half the race was on the trails that wind through that area. I made myself start out at toward the back of the pack and kept telling myself to
s-l-o-w down. It was cold, but my cold compression gear was doing it's job, and I felt good. There were a few medium-size hills, but nothing crazy. There was a race clock at the 5k mark, and it was 30.23 when I crossed there. I couldn't believe that I wasn't even tired yet. It's all mind over matter, so I told myself that from this point to the end is the about the same length as the path I run at the park regularly (everything up to this point was just a warm-up) =}
The last half was easier than I imagined. The race volunteers were stationed along the route at about half mile intervals cheering us on. At the five mile mark, when I knew there was only 1.2 miles left, I tried to pick up speed a little. Before I knew it, the finish line was in sight...Since my watch was trapped under my shirt and jacket sleeves, I wasn't sure how I was doing on time. When the race clock came into view, I was surprised to see 1:02:26. I sped through the shoot and handed in my time sheet....The official results aren't in yet, obviously, but I think my time is definitely under 63 minutes.
I was super shocked with my performance. I didn't even think that I'd be able to run the whole time and figured I'd need at least a little walking break. Nope! I feel like Superwoman today! If I can do this, I can do anything. My birthday is fast approaching, and I have to say, I think I'm probably in just as good of shape as I was ten years ago, if not better, definitely eating healthier! And, even though I've said in this very blog that a half marathon is not for me...After today, when I wasn't even tired after 6.2, makes me wonder if that could be in the cards in the future!
This morning, I rolled out of bed around 5:30 and headed to Edwardsville for the Route 66 10k. And, it was COLD this morning! Earlier in the week, I saw a weather report that said it would be around 50 degrees at race time, so I went to Dick's Sporting Goods and bought some cold weather running clothes. Good thing...It was more like 35 degrees at race time. There were tons of runners from all over, and I have to say the Metro Milers (the club that hosted the run) was awesome! The volunteers from the club working the race were great, and the other runners were super friendly.
One lady I met asked me what my goal time was...I hadn't really allowed myself to think about it...I didn't feel ready going into this race, and since it was my first 10k, I kept telling myself not to be competitive with myself and just do the best I could and see where I ended up. But, I told her I hoped to finish in under 70 minutes. Seemed reasonable, right?
The run went through residential Edwardsville and then about half the race was on the trails that wind through that area. I made myself start out at toward the back of the pack and kept telling myself to
s-l-o-w down. It was cold, but my cold compression gear was doing it's job, and I felt good. There were a few medium-size hills, but nothing crazy. There was a race clock at the 5k mark, and it was 30.23 when I crossed there. I couldn't believe that I wasn't even tired yet. It's all mind over matter, so I told myself that from this point to the end is the about the same length as the path I run at the park regularly (everything up to this point was just a warm-up) =}
The last half was easier than I imagined. The race volunteers were stationed along the route at about half mile intervals cheering us on. At the five mile mark, when I knew there was only 1.2 miles left, I tried to pick up speed a little. Before I knew it, the finish line was in sight...Since my watch was trapped under my shirt and jacket sleeves, I wasn't sure how I was doing on time. When the race clock came into view, I was surprised to see 1:02:26. I sped through the shoot and handed in my time sheet....The official results aren't in yet, obviously, but I think my time is definitely under 63 minutes.
I was super shocked with my performance. I didn't even think that I'd be able to run the whole time and figured I'd need at least a little walking break. Nope! I feel like Superwoman today! If I can do this, I can do anything. My birthday is fast approaching, and I have to say, I think I'm probably in just as good of shape as I was ten years ago, if not better, definitely eating healthier! And, even though I've said in this very blog that a half marathon is not for me...After today, when I wasn't even tired after 6.2, makes me wonder if that could be in the cards in the future!
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Thoughts for an Early Weekend Morning
I'd rather still be sleeping. But...Nothing boosts confidence like doing something you never thought you'd be able to do. Since I was wide awake for no apparent reason at 6:30 am, I went for a long run near my neighborhood. It's a route with about 7 hills, two of which are super steep, the others which are longer gradual rises. When I first started doing a shortened version of this route back in like May or June, I walked most of the hilly parts. I just couldn't make it up...like a Loony Toons character, I'd be chugging away and then grind to a halt part way up the hill. I've slowly improved on the hills and added mileage to the run. This morning, I made it up 6.5 hills and made the run a 4.5 miler. If I can do that, surely running 6.2 on a fairly flat course will be doable in about three week.
When it came to school or work, I've always been confident in my abilities. But in the past few years, I've felt that my body was on the downhill slide into old age and there was nothing I could do about it. I never thought I'd be able to run this far or fast again. I never thought I'd be able to get back in shape (30 lbs down 20 to go!). But I have, and I gotta say, it feels awesome! If I can do this, I'm pretty sure I can do anything at all.
When it came to school or work, I've always been confident in my abilities. But in the past few years, I've felt that my body was on the downhill slide into old age and there was nothing I could do about it. I never thought I'd be able to run this far or fast again. I never thought I'd be able to get back in shape (30 lbs down 20 to go!). But I have, and I gotta say, it feels awesome! If I can do this, I'm pretty sure I can do anything at all.
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