10K Baby!!

The bottom left number is distance!

A year ago if someone had said that within the next 12 months I would run 10k I would have laughed at them.  I refer to that girl as September Selena!  I am going to have to change that soon since we'll be in September again and I am not the same person I was a year ago.  Well that's not totally true.  I will always be the same person at the core but I am now a much healthier and much happier person.

This is about today's run though.  I woke up with that same feeling of nervousness that I wake up with every Saturday but this morning I told it to take a hike!  I was going to run 10k!  I had a small breakfast and headed out the door.  During the warm up I was already tired but I know that I need a bit of time to get the adrenaline going.  We always do a short 1k run then stop to do some more stretching.  I usually push a bit harder on that short run but this morning I didn't really feel that tired on that run like I usually do.  My legs felt great and I wasn't out of breath at all.  Usually I get to the stretching point and have some catching up to do.  Today I made it there just behind the group and they hadn't started yet.  This was a good sign!!  After the stretching I didn't wait around for instructions I just got moving.  I knew where I was going.  I felt great through the first 3k!  I felt strong and confident, I had no fatigue or pain!  At 3.5k you get to a hill, well a little valley actually, down then back up.

I am not good with hills at all.  I have never done any hill training because Adryanna's soccer games are on the nights that the group does them and soccer is more important to me.  This week I talked to Celine and she gave me the low down on the mechanics of running hills.   Aside from that hill there is a highway overpass.  Both I usually walk but not today.  Today I was determined to run both and I did! I still felt great after them too!!!

At the 4.11k mark there were two cars coming along.  One in each direction.  I noticed the one coming from behind me was going awfully slow so I turned around to see why and there was Celine!  She had come to take a picture of me at the turn around point.  I think I have mentioned the sign that is there which everyone runs up to and hits the first time they run 10k.  I was very touched that she would do that for me.  She's been such a great cheerleader for me through this journey and for her to finish her 10k run early then get in the car to come take my picture was wonderful!  It was also a great motivator to keep going even though I felt great still.

Here I am smacking the sign!

Anne also ran 10k for the first time today!

After our mini photoshoot and a bit of water it was time to turn around and head back to Runners' Edge.  Anne and I ran the rest together and it was great to have someone there for the run back.  I was encouraged to push just that little bit longer to make it right to 10k instead of stopping 300m short like I sometimes do.  It doesn't sound like a large distance but when you're hot, tired and that last little bit is up an overpass it can be challenging.  I did it though and I am so proud of myself.  I am also very thankful for Anne, she gave me that little push I needed at the end.  Thanks Anne!

So what's next?  I run The Chocolate Race in two weekends.  I am planning to run the 10k portion of the Niagara Falls International Marathon in October and Adrian wants us to do the Around the Bay two person relay in the spring.  That would be 15k each so I guess my next distance goal is 15k.  When I started running Celine always talked about when I run my first half marathon and I always laughed but now I think I might actually be able to do it!!  Maybe that will be next summer's goal!!!