the art of running a 10k!

I ran my first real 10k on Saturday. In fact, I ran my first race PERIOD on Saturday. Let me tell you, with the adrenaline rush and the universal excitement of every participant- these things are FUN!

I spent a good three minutes trying to decide how to humbly brag about my time, but I ultimately decided there's no way to do it: I ran 6.2 miles in under 50 minutes (my goal was an hour), and I somehow got second place in my age group (I mean..there were only 7 of us). My roommate, Kate, got first! In fact, everyone in my running group placed for their age group. So proud of them. :)

Now that I'm a running extraordinaire, here's what I learned:

1. Ride the adrenaline. Even if you don't feel like you can run that distance or run at that speed, trust that the adrenaline will take you the rest of the way because it will! But all the same..

2. A 15:00 mile or a 5:00 mile, it's still a mile! Pace yourself. I ran the first two miles at a 7:40-50 pace in an attempt to keep up with the males in my group. If I had let my pride get the best of me, I would have been crawling across the finish line, if I ever made it. I still ran faster than my training speed, a la #1.

3. Pants. Not going to plug a brand here, but...running tights are amazing. Specifically running tights from a very large local company...

Nike. I couldn't help it. But any running tights/leggings will do. :)

4. Shuffle mode on playlists. My iPod was tucked into a tiny pocket in the back of my pants. I forgot to turn my iPod to shuffle. In my refusal to stop and lose time changing it, I had the pleasure of listening to the ENTIRE. JUSTIN. BIEBER. ALBUM. for the entire run.

I love JB as much as the next 13 year old (this is no joke), but I think he may have just helped me finish the race a little faster.

5. Sprint the final stretch to the finish line. My awesome marathon-runner roommate sprinted the final stretch while I slowed DOWN and almost vomited on the congratulatory people. They were cheering me on, and I seriously think I looked at them and gagged as I crossed the finish line.

Suffice it to say, Kate looked cooler.

Ultimately, I learned that it's more fun to just have fun! In the very small light of competition, just make it a personal competition. I obviously couldn't run at the speed of the males in my group, and I was 100% okay with that, but I could run against myself.

I can't wait to run my first real 5k with my girlfriends next weekend.