10K... I DID IT!!!!

Yep... I left Friday not sure what was going to happen....

& honestly I woke up on Saturday not expecting to do the race.

I woke up still feeling stuffy headed.  I woke up with stomach cramps. I woke up feeling weak.  I just felt BLAH.

Ricky told me not to do the race. Just get back in bed.  "It's not the last race in the world"

I knew this.  But I just threw the biggest pity party you could imagine.  Crying.  Turned into sobbing.  Over a race. Over a stupid race.

But it was just a personal struggle to me. 

I can feel time weighing on me.  Every year, it gets harder.  & I know if I start making excuses, it will just be easier & easier to just not show up at a race.  & granted, I felt bad, but I still knew inside that if I went out there, I would be able to do it. I just knew it.  So what was really the excuse?

Plus, to be honest, I was mad.

I had this goal of this 10k.

most people have half marathon or full marathon goals. I had one measly little goal of a pitiful 10k... & if I couldn't make that.  I felt like a failure. 

I know some people wouldn't get that. I know Runner totally get that.

So it was 7:15 & the race started at 8... & that's when I started throwing on clothes, even with tears still running down my face.  I literally had no idea what I was putting on & hoping it would work with the temps.

Ricky decided to forego this race so he could just drop me off & we wouldn't have to worry about parking - especially after the parking nightmare of the last race 2 weeks before.... & mercy, we made good time.

& we got really lucky because we found a parking spot for $3.00 that was about a half mile from the start.  Ricky was able to go to the start line with me... & we had about 2 minutes to spare.  After the last race, that felt like a lifetime.

The gun went off & I literally started crying... just because I was thankful I was at the start.  I didn't know how it would end up, but I was so proud of myself for just showing up there at that spot....

Ricky ended up running with me about the first quarter mile - in his jeans - & then headed back to the finish to wait for me.

The first mile, I started coughing & I pretty much was choking on my own snot. GROSS!!!! ... which sort of threw me into a mild panic attack in the 2nd mile.  Choking is never something that makes running easy....

But I hit a good downhill in the middle of mile 2 that seemed to make everything ease up.  & I even hit the 5k mark 2 minutes earlier then the race I did 2 weeks before!

From there, I just tried to stay to my intervals, knowing I hadn't worked out in a week because I was sick, & still feeling a little shaky & weak from eating nothing but soup & laying in bed for 7 days.

I get to 5.5 miles & look & see Ricky walking on the sidewalk looking for me. 

It's funny how we've been married for so long but in certain moments in life, when we see each other, its like the movies where we just want to run to each other.... #love

He checked to see how I was feeling - perfectly fine
& then he held my  hand as I crossed the finish line.

I DID IT!

I did it even though I felt bad.

My time... sucked... royally... like the WORST 10K ever for me... like 17 minutes slower then my PR... Holy cow... that's embarrassing...

but that's OK...

I had a little bit of a sulk over that when I got home, but had to remind myself not to focus on the bad.  Focus on the good.  Focus on accomplishments.

We went & had our usual Panera breakfast afterwards & Ricky told me he was so glad I went because he said he knows I would have cried over it all weekend if I stayed home... I totally would have...

That goal I set a few months back to do this race... marked off...

Now onto the next challenge....