10k Wrap-Up

WOOHOO! 10k accomplished! ;)

I woke up bright and early this morning thanks to my husband's alarm clock- he was a volunteer at the race, coordinating one of the water stations (Mile 3 represent!), and had to be there at 5am!

Started off with my breakfast of champions and vanilla coffee- as a side note, I'm so thankful I discovered vanilla stevia!

recycled photo...but you get the idea. :)

Luckily the race was right down the street and I was able to get ready in time to ride with the hubby to the race. I'm so thrilled about that because I absolutely did NOT want to drive separate cars today. That's no fun. I did manage to forget my headphones and iPhone armband so I dropped him off and headed back home to pick them up. The good news is that was the only mishap of the morning!

After retrieving my missing gear, I met up with a few work friends for the opening ceremonies (Hi, Marcia and Molly!) and then I found my pace group. I opted to start with the 9:30 mile group because that was my goal time (58:00).

I wish I would have taken the time out to actually document the race so I would have photos to share. Unfortunately, I had such a bad case of nerves (I dreamed about bombing the race all night!) that it was all I could do to remember the absolutely necessary things!

During the week, I read several articles and blog posts about fueling for your race and pacing yourself, so I felt pretty prepared. I loved Tina's post on 10k Pacing Strategy. It helped me stay focused and feel like I had a plan! 

My planned 10k breakdown:

Mile 1- 9:20

Mile 2 & 3- 9:35

Mile 4 & 5- 9:30

Mile 6- 9:25

.2- as fast as possible!

My actual 10k breakdown wasn't quite what I had planned. I actually started the race at a 8:00 pace. Unfortunately, the "herd" slowed me down to 10:29 for a little bit until I could break away. I ended up staying at 9:00 pace for most the race (Mile 4 was a bit slower 9:30-9:40). A few times I checked my Nike+ app and noticed that I actually was running 8:30! I didn't even know I could run that fast! 

Focusing on my husband waiting at Mile 3 was my motivation for the first part of the race. He has never been at one of my races before and I loved seeing his proud face and hearing him cheer me on. Best. Thing. Ever.

Mile 4 was the most difficult. My breathing was heavy and labored and I started cramping up (too much water?). Because of my training runs, I knew it would pass and was able to work through it and keep going. There were definitely a few "Why am I doing this?!" moments during Mile 4.

After surviving Mile 4, the rest of the race was challenging, but bearable. I kept coaching myself through the hard parts. "You can do this!" and "You've got this, Kristina!" were my self-motivating mantras. ;)

Having run the race last year, I had a pretty good idea of when I was nearing the finish line and picked up my pace big time for that last push. I almost cried when I saw the timer and it flashed 55:55 as I ran under the finish line banner. The sign time alone was two minutes faster than my goal time. I'm still in awe. My d-tag registered 55:31:3 which translates to an average of 8:57/mile (according to the results post...I haven't attempted the math). WOW.


I'm beyond proud of my time and of how strongly I finished. Have I mentioned that I'm super motivated for my next race? I am! :D

The hubby treated me to brunch at First Watch to celebrate (The tri-athlete omelet is to die for!). And I treated myself to a luxurious body scrub,

My favorite brand for body scrubs.

painted my nails,

Coral Reef=Summer!

and ate Lunaberry Swirl coconut ice cream at home.

My new favorite flavor. YUM!

How was that for photo overload?  ;)

Now we're off to see The Avengers!

<3 K.E.

P.S. Tom is excited about my time too! :D

Say hello, Tom!

10k Training Update

This won't be a very long post. I just wanted to share a little update on my 10k training.

The race is scheduled for May. It is a 5k/10k Walk/Run/Roll benefiting the Wounded Warrior Project. I ran this race last year. It was my very first 10k and I did pretty well...but I'd like to do better! I haven't raced since then...so I'm nervous and excited all at once.

I love racing because I always seem to push myself harder when I'm running one. I think it is a combination of all the adrenaline and the fact that I'm surrounded by runners who are going fast! I want to keep up! It was actually during a race that I discovered I could run. No joke. I signed up as a favor to a friend and then all of sudden ran a mile without stopping thinking, "WOW. I can do this!" This year I'd like to PR my 10k time. I'm not sure if that will happen or not and honestly, I'm OK either way. But a PR would be fun. Especially because this is my first race in 2012.

I have managed to run my fasted mile during my training- 8:51 according to Nike+. I feel silly sharing it because it is definitely not fast by most runner standards, but for me it is HUGE. As you know, I'm an asthmatic. I was diagnosed when I was nine, but the symptoms only resurfaced about two years ago. I also happened to try out running around the same time and I noticed that after a while, the more I ran, the less asthma attacks I had. I'm not sure what the medical science is behind that phenomenon, but I do feel like running "exercises" my lungs just as it does the rest of my body. I like the idea that there is a healthier way to help control my asthma instead of pumping my body full of steroids and other medications that all have devastating side effects. I do use a rescue inhaler before every run as a precaution. No one needs me passing out on the side of the road or anything! ;) This is why running a mile in under 9 minutes is such an accomplishment for me. I know I will continue to improve, and I hope to eventually run 9-minute miles continuously and, one day, an 8-minute mile, but right now I am thrilled to have finally broken the 9 minute barrier. Before, I'd easily lose my breath when I tried to speed up a run and once I'm out of breath (if its asthma-related) it can take a while to breathe normally again.

Here is my 10k training run schedule (I've been following the Hal Higdon 10k novice plan with adjustments to fit my needs and schedule):

Sunday- long runs (a gradual increase from 4-6 miles)
Wednesday- 5k
Friday- 2 miles (I try to run as fast as I can during the 2 milers because it is a short enough distance that I don't really worry about my not being able to finish due an attack.)

I'm cross training as well, but that is for another post!

This weekend I ran 5.5 miles. My longest run to date during the training. It was definitely a challenge and I learned a valuable lesson- it is no longer spring and I can't run after 8am in the summer. Way too hot! Yuck!

I only have a few more runs before the big race. I can't wait! I'll post updates and (hopefully) be able to share my PR story with you on the big day!

<3 K.E.