Running Machine

Well friends, I am proud to announce that I participated in – and survived – my first 10K race! While I would be lying if I said that every minute of it looked like a scene out of the most esteemed runner’s magazine, I did run the whole way and avoided a dramatic meltdown upon crossing the finish line. I suppose in some ways I had an advantage since I ran this same course for the 5K I participated in this past November. That seemed fine and dandy at first until I forced myself to settle with the fact that I would be facing those same hills twice. Nothing like passing through the finish line for the 5K and getting geared up for another go. I will admit that on some of those inclines I found myself gazing longingly at passing cars wondering just how sketchy it would be if I asked the driver to covertly drop me at the next mile mark. I did not know anyone involved in this race so when we started out there were lots of conversations to help distract me from the run itself. As those folks who bolted out of the gates started falling back, the chatter began to die down and towards the end there were many people running alone. Personally, this is not something that bothers me and in many ways it is quite peaceful but man, running for over an hour really gives you some time to think. On downhill slopes I was thinking of happier times such as the BBQ I will be attending later today or the lovely weather. During those almost never-ending hills my thoughts did begin to shift. To make myself feel better about the task at hand, I thought back to some footage I had seen of marathon runners and some poor souls who had a hard time keeping it together. I then thought about a dramatic finish line moment involving a frantic collapse onto a few lucky bystanders. Throwing a large amount of drool in there never hurt. I will say that this was a positive experience and I did beat my set time, finishing at 1:06:10. Not too shabby. A friend of mine planted the seed of training for a half marathon this December but for today, it’s time to kick back and relax. Happy Saturday!