Running with 41,000

Whew! It finally came- the race I have been training for all winter- the Monument Avenue 10k! It is a great Richmond tradition held in late March/early April every year in the heart of the fan in downtown Richmond. This year my brother Nate ran it and my mom walked it, too. You may recall that this is only the 2nd time I have done it (but my third 10k), but I set a goal for myself last year when I finished the 6.2 miles at around 1 hour 7 minutes, to complete it this year in under an hour. Well...drum roll please...I finished the race this year at 55 minutes and 34 seconds (a personal record)!!!!! This exceeded my expectations greatly, as the week leading up to the race I was thinking I would get closer to 58 minutes. I averaged an 8:50 mile, though the first two miles were under that average and I finished the first 5k at 27:33 (also a personal record for a 5k). I'm not gonna lie, the race was hard (I always mentally curse myself as I am running, so most of the race is a battle going on inside my head). It goes as follows:

Mile 1: Whew! Running is awesome!
Mile 2: Alright, keeping up the pace. Some good bands at least. (Why do I sign up for these runs?)
Mile 3: Why is this not a 5k?! Well, at least I'm halfway!
Mile 4: In the groove! I think I can do this!
Mile 5: I HATE MY LIFE.
Mile 6: Why is the last .2 miles the longest?
Finish line: WOOOO! WATER please!

I really cycle through those thoughts every 10k I do. During my training runs the 2nd and 3rd miles are the worst, then I get into a groove, and then at the very end I get slower. I need to work on finishing better (my last mile was my slowest) but due to my time, I qualify to be a seeded runner next year! And, though I cannot do the Carytown 10k this year, I do have a few 5k's coming up that I will do, and to train I will still do long runs on the weekends. Even though I am running faster, it is still hard work and not easy, but I like being outside instead of in a gym and want to keep up with my progress!

Me at mile 5- hey dad (but I'm beginning to hate life)!

Nate in his stride

 Marge!

After the race! Go VCU!

Also, just to show you the VCU pride all over Richmond- even Walgreens has a say, as did many businesses in Richmond (I won't bore you with all the pictures). I am sad to have it all be over but it sure has been a fun few weeks!