In other weekend news, I tackled a first this weekend. My first 10K! You might remember me talking about a 10K being my next goal back in May. While my training fell by the wayside with everything else going on (read: I didn't train AT ALL) I still knew I could do it. I ran a less than a handful of times since the 5K I ran in April so I was a little nervous going into this 10K. Especially since I am not a natural long distance runner - I struggle with it. But I survived!
The Tour Des Fleurs 10k/20k is one of Dallas' most popular races of the season. The race benefits our beautiful one of a kind Dallas Arboretum and takes place within the arboretum and around White Rock Lake. I am so fortunate to live in this beautiful area of Dallas and I wanted to do something that benefits a cause I love for my first 10k.
The race started at 8am in the morning so I rolled out of bed around 7am, laced up my shoes, stuffed a banana, some coffee and some water down my throat and headed out the door. The weather was absolutely perfect (mid 60s and partly cloudy) and I got to stroll through the beautiful arboretum gardens as my warm up. I hit the large pack of runners just about 5 minutes before the race started - I stretched, set my watch timer and got ready. Bang! Gun goes off, lets do this!
The first couple miles my adrenaline was running full force, the course was flat and I was enjoying the weather and the scenery. I was off to a good start and feeling pretty energized.
About halfway through the hills started. The first hill was HUGE. I was just starting to get a little tired and I knew this hill was going to be the death of me. So what did I do, I got it over with as fast as possible and sprinted up the hill. Not going to lie, felt kind of like a badass sprinting past other runners as I conquered the massive hill. Then I hit the top and slowed down and my body was not happy with me. I slowed WAY down to recover and then carried on.
The middle of race was all hills - a combo of small and big. I was not prepared for this and it hurt. A lot. Then we came around the corner and started the loop back to the start/finish line. I hit the water stop just at the right time and refueled so I could make it to the end of the race.
The people that had gathered along the last mile were cheering and it gave me the push I needed. I saw the finish line and put everything I had into the last half mile. And done!
Once I crossed the finish line I had the biggest grin on my face. I did it. I ran my first 10k and I didn't kill over. Then I saw my sweet Molly's face and my race was complete.
I enjoyed a post race beer, some breakfast tacos and walked around the arboretum to cool down. It doesn't hurt to have a world renowned exhibit by Chihuly to check out while you come off your race high.
So how did I do? Well I did better than I thought I would! I finished in 1:13:57. Not something I would brag about but far better than I thought I would fare with absolutely zero training. It definitely let me know what my body is capable of and I am excited to actually do some training and sign up for another one.
One down, more to come.
Race photo from www.racephotonetwork.com all other photos property of ChasingHallie
