In that good way though.

I ran my first 10K race yesterday.  I loved every minute of it.  More than the 5K, I have to admit.  Much, much more.  This race was in my city and the weather was perfect, albeit a bit on the humid side, but after the winter we had I am NOT going to complain.

My neighbor offered me a ride early so I took it and spent two hours alone, watching the crowds build and taking in all the sights. It was glorious, really, to be alone with my thoughts as I watched other runners preparing for their race.  At atmosphere was friendly and cordial. Everyone had smiles on their faces.

As my start time loomed, I felt the familiar grumblings of nerves in my stomach but I was also just happy to be running again.  I had taken the previous three days off to rest my legs and it was the smartest move I made.  As I crossed the start line and started running, I could tell within a few minutes that my legs were happy and this was going to be a great run.  I kept to a comfortable pace and at the first kilometer marker I decided to keep running and made a split-second decision to alter my plain.  Normally I would have run intervals of 1 km running to 100 m walking but my legs felt strong, so I pushed myself and took walk breaks every 2 km.

1-3km.  There was a beautiful cool breeze and as I found my pace, I just took everything in and watched others ahead of me.  I had to weave a bit as I passed slower runners and a few walkers.

3-7km.  I was starting to get hot.  The breeze died and the air was thick.  At the 4 km water station I saw a fire hydrant had been turned on and other runners were going through it.  YES!  I ran over to it and cooled down instantly. It was a glorious feeling.  I got some water, drank some of my own Gatorade from my belt and kept going.

7-10km.  Starting to get a bit tired.  I kept my walk intervals consistent every 2 km and knew that if I kept it up I would finish strong.  As I approached the 9km marker I honestly started looking for the finish shoot but it was out of my line of sight.  My legs were tired but I knew I had a little more in them to push on and I went through the finish line with my arms up high and felt stronger than ever.  What a great feeling!!!

I found my family and got big hugs and kisses and we walked over to the medal area.  I frantically searched for my chip time and was thrilled.  I really couldn’t have asked for a better day.

I woke up today with very sore quads and calves.  Sore in that way you know you went out and gave it your all.  I will take a few days off to rest and consider what’s next.  15k? 21.1?  It all seems more possible now.