First 10K under my belt, WOOT!

I did it! I ran my first 10K race today. I feel pretty good, although I'm definitely sore and tired.

Thanks for everyone's advice on my last blog. I did rest on Friday--I did an easy 2.5 mile run on Thursday, which I probably didn't need to do. My legs were pretty fresh this morning, but they might have been better without Thursday's run. Live and learn.

I thought I was pretty good at gauging my pace and not following the crowd, but I guess not. I ran the first two miles at sub-10 minute splits, which for me is quite fast. When I got to the 4 mile marker, I was seriously dragging. I swear that the mile between markers 4 and 5 was improperly measured--it felt like 10 miles, LOL.

After mile 5 people started passing me like crazy. I know I slowed down, but not that much, so people who started slower than me had more of a kick left toward the end. I was able to give a slight kick within sight of the finish--there were lots of people cheering, including some friends, so that was energizing.

I didn't want to put any pressure on myself with a time goal, just finishing (and running the whole thing) was enough of a goal for me. But secretly in the back of my mind, I was hoping to finish in less than 65 minutes. I did it in 64:30, so I was very happy!

Now I need a nap.