10K: Check!

You know the old saying, "Slow and steady wins the race"? Well... I definitely did NOT win the race (there were some FREAKS, trust me) but I ran my First 10K (6.2 miles for non-runner minds) this morning! I pulled into the finish line at 1 hour and 6 minutes, which, for my first race, I was totally OK with. I have been wanting to start doing races for a while, and am SO glad I finally did my first one! 1/2 marathon here I come! Here's a list of things I loved and hated about the race... maybe it will inspire you to do one too! It really was one of the most rewarding things I have done for myself for a while. (Besides my weekly trip to the "Sweet Tooth Fairy" on my Saturday weigh in days... a blog post about that later...)

LOVED

• Seeing the old men in "runner shorts", where you're super scared you're going to see something you shouldn't see because of the floppiness of the shorts, but, alas, there are built in undies so NO WORRIES THERE! Ha Ha.
• Seeing people of all shapes and sizes out to accomplish something great for themselves... truly was inspiring. We all can conquer those things we have always thought about or wanted to do. 
• Seeing parents with their kids running together
• Seeing husbands and wives running together
• The beautiful scenery, God is quite the artist, don't ya think?
• Water stops-- I feel SO cool when I pull up to the water table, chug down some water, and then chuck the cup... just like a real pro. 
• Inhabitants of Spanish Fork, UT that cheered me on from their houses. I really felt their support!
• The lady who I was close to most of the race who, at 5 miles, said "Girl! We are almost there!" Nothing like some good girl-to-girl encouragement. At that moment, I was ready to die... her words helped.
• When the police officers stopped traffic for us! I felt special. I HATE when I am in the car waiting for all the bloody runners to pass, but today I rather enjoyed that part of the race.
• And probably my absolute favorite part was when I turned the very last corner and saw the finish line, and my friend John (who, mind you, ran it in 46 minutes. FREAK) cheering me on. I felt SO good it was over, and even BETTER that I DID IT! I ran 6.2 miles! It was quite the exhilarating moment... I wonder what a real marathon feels like. Not sure if I care to know yet... Ha

HATED

• My left foot kept falling asleep! It was SO annoying! I don't think it's my shoes, cause my shoes are rockin' running shoes, but who knows...
• That I can't sleep before big events... I probably slept 2 hours the night before! I was so nervous that I was gonna die. 
• MILE 4 CAN DIE. Before and after Mile 4 I was doing pretty good. And then Mile 4 happened, which is REALLY unfortunate because it's my favorite number... but me and mile 4 did not get along today. Forgiven now, of course... but man....
• Arm-rubbage on my tank. I now have a slight burn mark where my arm would hit my tank under my armpit! Luckily, no chafage (chub rub...)happened on my legs though. Blessings from on high...
• The salty sweat marks on my face at the end. I truly looked like a Zebra with white stripes down my face. Gross.
• The feeling about 6 hours after. Pain. Running 6 miles, even on a pretty well-trained body, does a number. 

I loved my experience, can't wait for another one!