Finding my happy "pace"...

On July 4th, Stew and I ran our first 10K (6.2 miles) race. It was something we had been training for - for the last 4 weeks.

{sigh}

I didn't training hard enough.  Ignore that I said that. I'm being too hard of myself. I did train hard, but the heat and humidity really got to me. I couldn't have trained for that. It is what it is. (eww, I hate that saying)

I/we were doing well for the first 3 miles, after that - something went terribly wrong. My head felt hot, my chest felt heavy and I had an unbelievable cramp. I could hear the water I drank on the ride down - bouncing in my stomach. I started to cry. I said fuck...a lot.

Our paced dropped to a 10:30 from a 8:25. I was crushed.

The heat and humidity was brutal and I couldn't get through it. I thought about my family and my sweet IV, at home with my parents. I pictured him saying "More go, Mama"...something he says to me while we run and train together. But even with that...it wasn't enough. I couldn't get that fire under me.

But I did. I finished my first 10K race. Something I never in a million years thought I could do.

We finished in 59:45 - a 9:36 pace. Not what I had dreamed of. (I was hoping for finishing around 54:00)

Crossing the finish line. 

So where do I go from here? I have enlisted the help of my amazing sister-in-law who is an even more amazing runner - we are working on a training plan and I'm going to run another 10K in the Fall. Why a 10K? I don't know. It seems like a good distance for me. It's challenging enough - yet short enough. 

Maybe next year I'll go for the 1/2 marathon...but I'm not ready. I haven't found my happy pace yet...but I will and I'm going to enjoy this amazing journey.