I woke up this morning and found out that my uncle Stacy
passed away. He had been battling cancer for about a year and a half. He was a
great guy, and I loved him very much. Every time I talked to Stacy, he told me
to have more fun and enjoy life more. And I feel like I have really done that
since I graduated college. I’m really going to miss him, but I’m relieved that
he’s not suffering anymore.
That being said, I wasn’t really feeling pumped up about the
race this morning. I know that Stacy would think I was chickening out by not
doing it, so I decided to just do the best that I could today. Running has
always been my way to gain some perspective anyway.
I have never run a 10k before. After this race I have to say
- it is a hard distance. I’m definitely not used to running so fast for that
long. My goal was to run 5:54/mile with very even splits (that is what McMillan
calculator said I could run based on the Provo Half). I came in the first mile
at 6:00 and then hit a headwind and uphill for mile 2. My watch said 6:25, and
I really got discouraged. Mile 3 was nice with a little downhill, but when the
watch said 5:10 I realized that the mile markers were completely off. Quick
rant – this is a major issue for me. Mile markers need to be a top priority for
race directors and misplaced ones can really make or break participants. If
they aren’t going to be correct, there is no point in even putting them out on
the course! Anyway, miles 4 and 5 were pretty uneventful – I was trying to
stick with Emily and was definitely feeling the pace at this point. She seemed
to slow a bit a mile 5 so I took over and just tried to push through. The last
1.2 seemed LONG. I finished in 37:10, so I was a little disappointed with my
time. I know that I ran hard and did the best that I could today. I honestly
thought there was a girl ahead of me for the entire race. I was surprised and
excited to find out that I had won!
Now I’m heading to Tennessee to see my family for the next
few days. Although it is only at 1000 ft or so, the temperature is going to be
in the mid-90s and humid! That will definitely be a shock for running. But I’m
excited to see everyone back home.
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