St. Patrick’s Day Run to the Pub 10K – Race Recap

I ran in my first 10K race Saturday and had a great time.  This was a St. Patrick’s Day race so there were all sorts of runners.   There were the serious runners who were there to run/race, and then there the ones on the other extreme who were there to completely enjoy the day, party and goof around during the race.  People were dressed as leprechauns, some wore tutus, some had green hair, and I saw one guy with a beer can dangling from a stick in front of his nose.  It was really a fun race, so much energy and great crowds along the course.  Lots of little kids on the side of the road holding out their hands for High-5 slaps.  And yes, I did high-5 these kids – it was as much fun for me as it was for them! :)

I had a few goals for this race:

• Have Fun
• Take Chances
• Increase Pace Every Mile

Have Fun – check!  I did have fun with this race.  I was nervous in the morning before the start but, settled down as soon as I started running.   The energy from the other runners was contagious.  So many people were enjoying themselves that it was easy to enjoy this experience and appreciate the fact that I could participate.
 
Take Chances – check!  “Take Chances” was what Matt wrote in my plan for this race day.  We didn’t specifically discuss this but, my interpretation of it meant to push myself into the “discomfort” zone and stay there for the duration of the race.  Normally, when a run, workout, or race gets hard or uncomfortable I will back off because I want to be able to finish whatever I am doing.  But, by always backing off, I never know how hard I can really push myself.  So yesterday I did push into that discomfort zone and stayed there.  It wasn’t easy.  There was a point around mile 3 where I thought “I need to back off, I don’t know if I can keep this up”.  But, I quickly got past that thought and made myself keep going.  I learned something about myself yesterday.  I still have more to learn about how much/far I can push but, yesterday was a big confidence boost for me!

Increase pace every mile – partial check!

Mile 1 - 9:06

Mile 2 - 8:59

Mile 3 - 8:59

Mile 4 - 8:26

Mile 5 - 8:33

Mile 6 - 8:44
Overall - 52:56 
I wasn’t able to increase pace every mile but, I am extremely happy with these mile splits.  My training runs are usually in the 9:15-10:00 minute pace range so getting down into the 8:30s for 3 miles at the end of a hard effort is awesome for me.  Patting myself on the back! :)

I don’t have any race pictures to share since my photographer was also running this race.  Pat had an awesome race yesterday too!   Also my niece and nephew ran this race – it was their first 10K and they ran great!  They had fun and are planning their next race adventure together.

We had a nice family gathering at the house yesterday after the race with Pat’s sisters and a few of our nieces and nephew.

Standing: Jordan, Cailin (ran 10K), Helen, Shea (ran 10K), Margie, and Pat
Sitting: Dylen, Mary and yours truly
Floor: Katie, Goose, and Beanie

What are your plans for St. Patrick's Day?   I will be swimming, biking and/or running!  It's what I do now. :)