I ran my first 10k of the year this morning- the Shamrock Shuffle- and it actually went very well.
As you know, there were a lot of reasons I didn't have high hopes going into the race: I've been fighting off a cold and/or allergies, I was concerned my training hadn't been up to par, the course had a humongous hill you had to run over going out and coming back... But I'd paid to do the race, and I figured I'd try to run it anyway- not slow, but not trying to kill myself to finish fast either.
The weather was beautiful. Sunny, cool, a little breezy. I wore shorts! And these pictures prove it. Those things on the lower half of my body? Those are called legs, and this was the first time they'd seen sunlight in a very long time.
D came along and hung out at the library while I was running. It was nice to have someone keep track of my stuff and take a few pictures. I didn't do any "after" shots because my nose runs a lot when I run, and that stuff has to go somewhere, which is usually all over my clothes. Yuck. Not a Kodak moment.
Anyway, I felt like I ran a good race. It wasn't a PR race (mostly because of the course), but I had even mile splits and kept an even effort with the hill. Miles 1 and 5 - the ones with the big hill- I ran in about 8:30-something and the other miles I ran at slightly under 8 min/mile pace. I finished in 51:04, faster than I thought I would.
This race gave me good insight into how I should feel at the beginning of a 10k: pretty easy. The 10k (at least for me) is not a fly and die race. More like a half-marathon, I have to get in the groove and just hang on there until the finish. If I go out pushing, I'm not going to make it until the end. I can hold that push for about a 5k, but after 3 miles, it's all over. I definitely need to hold back for a 10k.
My next scheduled race is the Two Pi Mile 10k in April. If the course is the same as last year's (flat), I think I have a pretty good chance of breaking 50 min for the 10k. Honestly I think I could have done it today if it weren't for the hill.
I'm so happy with the results of the run, and it makes me excited to start training hard outside. Tomorrow will be a swim and lifting day, though, because I don't want to get carried away and hurt myself.
Hope everyone else had a beautiful, warm nearly spring day.
