The wind was awful. So you know I'm not exaggerating, there were broken trees at the high school where the start was because of the wind. I was excited, but I told my friends walking in that for some reason I just wasn't feeling very fast today. I was also fighting a stomach ache (Note to self: A gigantic dinner of delicious crepes and sausage links is NOT a good idea the night before a race!) so I was nervous about that.
We started, and within the first two tenths of a mile I knew that I wasn't going to hit my time goal- the wind was so strong that it felt like someone was pushing me backwards. I'm not every strong, or very big, so I was literally getting blown all over the road. The only plus about it was that the other runners were fighting against the same obstacle.
The first 3 miles were the hardest, then we turned and I was able to sail along with a tail wind or a side wind for a couple of miles, and then the last mile was absolutely killer. I knew when I looked down after running for 4 miles and saw that my average was 8:11/mile that I just had to forget about the time and focus on the fact that there were only 3 men in front of me.
I kept steady and pushed through! I was passed by 2 guys at a half mile to go- I just didn't have the strength to push through the wind like they could. I sprinted at the end to try to beat one of them, but I just didn't catch him. However, I was able to achieve my first goal of placing 1st overall in women! There were only 5 men that finished in front of me- I was very excited about that. I finished the race in 50:03.88 (my Garmin said I ran 6.35 miles) and my average pace was 7:53/mile. I was so glad I could finish with an average under 8!
I've been home for a couple of hours now, and I feel completely wiped out- like I ran a half marathon instead of a 10K. It was tough! At least I can say I have a first place under my belt.
Me, Sariah, and Darcy taking shelter in the car after the race. It was so bad people didn't even stick around at the finish- they just bailed. Do we look windblown?
4 comments:
congrats on the win! You are much faster than I am! That was a tough race because of the wind. I was one who bailed at the end. I didn't even wait for my family to cross the finish line. It was horrible. Congrats again! You are amazing!
that was my very first race and it was so hard! i only did the 5k and i was pushing quincy in the stroller and there were times i could hardly move!! the wind was horrible! but now i have a time to beat for next time. it was still fun.
You are so impressive on so many levels. Way to take first. I remember realizing for the first time that some people actually show up with the intention of winning. That thought had never crossed my mind. You know, you always leave the most uplifting comments on my blog, which make me feel like a million bucks. After awhile, I realized that you leave sincere, uplifting comments on a lot of blogs, because that's just the kind of person you are. It shines through in all that you do, including running. Keep it up, kid. That attitude is going to take you a LONG way.
That is something to be really proud of sis!!! Great job. You are super speedy. Hope your family gets feeling better soon. Missing you. Love you lots.
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