My running girls however, had a different plan and encouraged me to sign up for a 10K with them over the weekend (the Sweetheart Shuffle, awww..). I will admit; I was nervous about it. I knew I could DO the 10K, but I wasn't sure if I could do it hard. I like to review results from the previous years races to see how my anticipated time lines out and upon review, I actually thought I stood a decent chance of placing (in my age group) third or so.
It was a nice, although chilly morning, but the whole family came to cheer me on. There was a kid's short fun run before the race and Chloe got 1st and Bg got 2nd! Future runners....maybe!
I told my friends my goal was 57 minutes, but secretly I had a personal goal of 55 minutes. Meghan's goal was 1:15 and Somer's was 1:30.
The race started and I felt good. My first half mile split was fast (for me) at 4:04 and I got a bit nervous I was going too fast, but I felt good. I slowed down a bit and ran comfortably the rest of the race. The 10Kers had to run the race course twice which I thought I wouldn't like, but I actually did, as I knew exactly what I had to face the 2nd half of the race. I knew were the hills were and where the turns are. We had some back and forth running, so I was able to see my friends multiple times during the race to shout a word of encouragement. I was still feeling good at the start of mile 6. I could see two women in front of me and I decided to go after them. I knew the next mile of the course so I knew I could speed up for a bit. I didn't know what age group they were, but I didn't want to end up with like 4th place and be upset that I didn't pass them. As I sped up, the girl directly in front of me also sped up, but the girl in front of her was slowing down. I was able to catch her, but just couldn't quite get the girl in front of her.
Since my family was with me, I actually have several pictures!
So....I mighta placed in my age group....2nd place!!!!
This picture of me crossing the finish line cracks me up. I look like death, but the lady behind me looks like she is just out for an easy casual stroll- hands in pockets, relaxed race. She was a 5K walker but she makes it look a lot easier than me!
I run on Missouri Team Beef- which is a group that promotes the benefits of eating healthy beef in your diet. We are advocates for the Beef Industry to help de-bunk all the myths concerning cattle farms. Ask me if you have any questions or concerns about where your food actually comes from
Post race photos with my girls. Guess what? We ALL PR'd (ha ha, it was all of our first 10K's) and we all beat our goal times! Meghan was 4 minutes ahead of her goal and Somer was 1 minute. All that hard work at the gym is pacing off! We need to make sure we aren't looking into the sun for pictures; everyone is a bit squinty except for me since I always wear sunglasses. I need to get better race glasses but mine are awfully cute.
I was very happy with my splits. I felt really strong at the end and think I could have actually gone a few more miles at this pace. Mile 2 and 5 had the big hill (it wasn't really that big) but it made a difference. This makes me pretty excited about my upcoming half marathons. If I can keep this pace for 8 or so miles and then slow down a bit, I will reach my goal of under 2 hours!!
So, official race time was 54:27- under BOTH my goals!
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