Fairy Healthy Life

Relay for Life 10k recap

I am always a nervous wreck the night before a race. It’s just the type of person I am. I always fear the unknown. But the excitement always overpowers that feeling. Last night I had a dream it was 7:25 and I was shopping at Target. Race time was 7:30 and I was thinking, “oh no, I’m going to be SO late!” Yeah I’m crazy. Target doesn’t even open till 8! Ha ha!

Anyway, I woke up this morning around 5:30. I felt well rested and energized. I took my time getting ready. I tried drinking as much water without feeling too full. I ate a Clif protein bar that they sent me to promote their new smores flavor. It was good but pretty sweet though. I didn’t mind. I knew I needed the carbs to keep me going. It has 20g of protein.

 

We arrived at Eastwood High School at 7. The race started at 7:30 on the dot.  Race adventures unlimited are always organized and punctual. I really appreciate that. A few races I’ve ran (including todays) have been organized by them.

The first mile was the worst mile of my life. I don’t know what was going on. I felt my throat close up and my mouth was completely dry. It was so gross. I felt like a dog with my tongue hanging out. I think it was a mix of the heat and the cold I had this week that I have not completely recovered from. I seriously wanted to quit. I’m not kidding. I was going to just stand there and leave. But I told myself to slow down a little and just keep going.

I started to feel better around mile 1.5 and hit my stride.

Mile 1: 9:07 min/mi

Mile 2: 8:54 min/mi

After mile 2 the heat was starting to get to me. It was at least 80 degrees and the sun was right in my face for all of mile 3. I saw a water station approaching. I took a few sips and poured most of the bottle over my head. It was so refreshing.

Mile 3: 9:36 min/mi

Mile 4: 9:45 min/mi

I realized I needed to speed up if I wanted to make my goal of less than 60 minutes. I was able to pass up a few people who were ahead of me the whole time. I knew the finish line was going to be approaching soon so I gave it everything I had. My strength in the end definitely paid off!

Mile 5: 9:50 min/mi

Mile 6: 9:33 min/mi

My final time: 58:12.3! I definitely surpassed my goal! I’m sure I could have picked up my pace in the middle but I did what I could. This is my first 10k and all I can do is keep running and improve my time one run at a time.

We walked back to the start line for awards. It was a great way to loosen up my legs.

The initial results said I placed 2^nd as you can see.

But when they handed out the medals, they called me for third. I was very confused. That also meant the person right behind me didn’t end up placing. That was upsetting. They haven’t posted the results online yet, but I’m going to double-check later.

They raffled off prizes after that. A lot of people left, so they ended up just passing out the rest of the prizes. They were mostly gift cards and coupons. That was very nice of them to do that.

The girls had a lot of fun too!

Apparently they had few races of their own going on.

Overall, I had a great time. El Paso runners are very friendly. I love being part of the running community. We have to deal with some extreme heat, but the experience is always so much fun. I can’t wait for the next one.