...until I saw a post in one of my Facebook running groups. There was a 10k race on Saturday , May 30th! Talk about getting one in just in the nick of time! I immediately signed up, hoping for the best for the race.
Race day came, and I woke up with a very unhappy stomach. I was not feeling very confident about the race, but I knew it was my last chance, and even if I shaved off a couple of minutes from my proof of time, it would be better than what I already have, right?
The race was in Roswell, GA and started and ended at a Catholic church. The race benefits the work of the Ghana Friendship Project's work. It helps to supply medical and health care supplies, educational material and clothing to the people of Ghana.
Getting to the race was super easy. I arrived at around 6:30 and had plenty of time to grab my bib and shirt, walk back to my car to get ready, and get to the finish line. I kind of liked that I didn't have a lot of time to stand around. I went to the race solo so I took some time to give myself a little pep talk (and a couple of pictures)
The race started promptly at 7 a.m. and we were off! The weather was perfect....low 60s and overcast. The humidity was a little high but the cool temperatures helped. I wasn't able to find my interval timer the night before so I depended on my Garmin to tell me when to run and walk. As the race started I skipped over the intervals until I got away from the crowd. Mile 1 felt pretty good. During mile 2 I started to struggle mentally and actually considered cutting my race short and making the turnoff for the 5k course.
But I didn't.
I pushed through and kept going. Mile 2 I slowed down a bit, but really picked it up the rest of the race. We ran for about a mile on a dirt road, which my knees enjoyed. At this point in the race I started to make it a goal to pick people off in front of me. Each time I passed the person in front of me I aimed to pass the next. During mile 4, I realized that I could actually PR my 10k time. I kept with my intervals and was shocked at the average pace per mile each time. As we came up on the finish line I really kicked it into gear. There was a nice little downhill toward the finish line and I sprinted toward it. When I stopped my watch, I was at 1:16:55...a new PR! I haven't PRed a 10k in over 2 years, so I was absolutely ecstatic with myself.
I grabbed a bottle of water and saw runners with freeze pops, so I scoped them out at the refreshment table and snagged an orange one. So tasty after the race!
I was shocked when I looked at my splits....with the exception of mile 2, I had all negative splits! Usually I get slower as the race goes on, but to run faster? Go me! When I got home I immediately entered my new proof of time into the runDisney website and was much happier with their estimated finish time for me.
I have to give so much credit to my trainers at Orangetheory Fitness. I haven't run outside much lately...the only runs I've been doing have been on the treadmill during our workouts. My workouts have really helped build my endurance and got me here. I really got back my love of running during this race and I am already looking forward to meeting up with some friends on Saturday morning and getting some more miles in.
If you're looking for a great 10k race, I highly recommend the River Run for Hope. Flat, fast course and it supports a great organization. I'll definitely put this race on my calendar to run again.
92 days until Disneyland!!
Until next time,
