Another 10K race done!!!!

Another run under my belt, and another little improvement. WAHOO!!!

Did the Sun Run this weekend - 10K. For the last two weeks I had NOT been looking forward to this run. I have been having a bit of pain in one leg, nothing major, just some aches, but really I just wasn't enjoying my runs. I was extremely anxious about the number of people that would be in this run (55,000) as I despise crowds and my tolerance level hits rock bottom.

Getting on the train to go out there I was ready to pack it in and forget the whole idea. We were squished like sardines in there and I was so unhappy. Then we funneled out towards the starting area like herded sheep. I hated every moment of it. People bug me and there was people bumping into us, flinging their hair around, and (ugh) coughing & sneezing. I shiver now thinking of that. We managed to squeeze our way onto the street to await the start. We waited and waited..... I really wanted to go find a bathroom, but I was terrified I'd never get back in and I wouldn't find my husband, son & my sister again. But then our section finally got shuffled to the start line and once we were off running it spread out pretty good and I was surprised.

However there were some areas where it narrowed, or if you went up even the slightest hill then alot of people walked or stopped, those areas were tough to navigate. I had to holler at a few people who were walking side by side across the narrow roads and I think I elbowed a few people too. It was pretty clearly stated that if you have to walk or stop you were supposed to move to the right side of the road and keep out of the way. That was a big frustrating because I really felt like I could run faster but just couldn't get through the crowds. I was trying to be very concious of never running at the exact speed as the person beside me, thus causing a wall that someone from behind couldn't get through.

It was the first time in a few weeks that I was completely pain free and it felt great. Around the 8 Km mark I was reminded that I really should have stopped to pee before I left (sorry graphic, but it does make it very hard to run when you're thinking of that). But I knew my time was pretty good and I really didn't want to stop. This made sprinting at the end not really a good idea, which is sad because I had the energy.

I finished in 58:56 - 26 seconds faster than my run 2 weeks ago. Considering the crowds, and there was a few little hills, I am really very happy with that time. In the end I really enjoyed myself and I expect I will do it again. Actually, my sister asked me today if we could sign up for next year now (hahha).

I had been thinking that after this run I would scale it back and not book any runs for a while. And that when I did, my next one would be only 5K. But now ..... I'm feeling excited again and after a few days of lower intensity I'm on the lookout for another run, another 10K run! My new goal is to finish under 55 min. Not sure if I can accomplish this for this year, but it's the next marker I want to reach. My son finished in 51:38 and my husband finished in 52:16 - excellent considering neither trained for it (kinda sickening?!!!). Though I think they are stiffer than me. I feel great today with only very mild stiffness to be expected, I think mostly because with everything going on I didn't get a good stretch at the end.

I learned lots of lessons on this run and expect next year to be that much better.

Check out PRIOR FAT GIRL for another great contest, or just for some amazing motivation and a lot of giggles!!!