Crim 10 Mile Race

Sorry I haven’t been around for a while, but if you read my weight loss blog then you heard that life has been getting in the way. It was either find time to blog or find time to run and I picked running :)

This Saturday was my first big race – The Crim 10 mile. It was a great race!  The course ran through downtown Flint and had a good balance of hills and flats.  I was really glad that I have been training on hills since many times I was the only person running up the hills at my pace level.  I made me feel strong and accomplished.  I didn't even realize we were going up hill a few times until the trip back down :)

Me after the finish line.  I felt like I could have done a few more miles - until about a half an hour later!

I was a little worried about completing the course in a timely manner since our 10 mile training run was canceled several miles short due to a tornado warning. The longest run I had done to date was a 8.5 mile run and my time STUNK! Something like a 19 minute mile. I thought my time was because of how hard the trainers were pushing me (I was completely toast at the 6 mile mark), but of course they believed I just wasn't trying hard enough - I even caught them mocking me the next week.  The people that I am paying to help me get through this.  The people who said every week how good I was doing... grrrr.....

Race day I just completely put them out of my mind.  I did the intervals that worked for me and pushed myself, but not to the point that I wouldn't be able to finish - which is the whole point of the Gallaway program, right?  I was was very happy to not only beat my 8.5 mile pace and my personal goal of finishing before the roads open (18 min/mi), but I was also able to pass my "ultimate" goal of a 16 minute mile - ten 16 minute miles. I think my official time was at 15:25 mile, but since I didn’t run the inside track the whole way my gps had my route a little longer and just a few seconds under 15.

Now some of you out there might not be happy with that time. In fact, you might be able to walk that speed, but I am very ecstatic!! This year is not about being the fastest runner out there - or even close - it is about finishing.  About doing something that I have never felt like I could actually do.  It was a wonderful feeling and I loved the fact that I wasn’t last. I wasn’t even close to last! 

My Parents caught up to me at the 2 mile mark. I am on the far left.

The start line - It took me over 8 minutes to get to the start.