Getting back in the routine after vacation is hard, y’all. That’s my only excuse here.
Did I mention that I was running a 10K as part of my training? I thought it would be something fun to look forward to and a good way to break up the long runs. Which it totally was!
The race was part of Clarendon Day 2010. I don’t live in Clarendon, but I don’t live too far away, and the course was advertised as ‘mostly downhill.’ So that was perk number one. Perk number 2? The course ended two Metro stops away from the race start, and the organizers included a Metro fare back to Clarendon in the packet! Perk 2? A free beer! Perk 3: Using the showers at Gold’s Gym in Clarendon to get all clean so I could poke around the festival. Awesome, Gold’s Gym!
As for the race itself, I finished in 1:07:20, which was exactly where I wanted to be. I was aiming at somewhere between 1:06 and 1:08. On the 10K I ran *cough*6 years ago*cough* I finished at 1:10 or so, so I was very happy with my time! And the course was indeed mostly downhill. The course took us down through Courthouse to Rosslyn and onto the George Washington Parkway past the Pentagon. It was pretty awesome running on the closed parkway! Tiny hill at the turnaround, tiny hill before the finish, and done.
It was a bit discouraging at the start, because people kept passing me! But I just reminded myself that I needed to go slow, take it easy, and save my power for the end. Passing people could wait!
I love that I did this race. It got my head in the right place, reminding me that running is as much mental as physical (whole post on that later this week). It reminded me that I can do this, that I am a runner again, and that all the work is worth it.
No run this morning – I got too caught up in work/food prep stuff. But I’ll have dinner waiting for me when I get home from the gym after work!
