Our first 10k is done and done!! No DNS for us, and I can’t believe it was entirely in the rain!
To be completely honest, the race got off to a bit of a rough start. We got to the mall a little after 6am and instantly got lost.
It was dark, raining, there were no signs and cones everywhere. We finally pulled up the map and realized the start was by Edwards Theater. We parked and then got out into the rain and walked towards what we thought was the starting line…
Except it wasn’t.
Someone on a bullhorn was yelling the start was a bit away at the next building over. So we walked over with literally 2 minutes to spare and lined up just in time to start the race. The course went around the mall once and then out onto the streets and back.
The first 2 miles were hard. My legs were cold and the rain was coming down pretty steady. I was instantly soaked. The first half mile I hit a huge puddle and from then on my socks and shoes were squishy.
- Mile 1 – 11:47
- Mile 2 – 12:43
Miles 3-5 had us going out onto the streets. These miles were pretty easy, which surprised me. I had studied the course the day before and I think it helped mentally knowing when to expect the next mile marker.
We had decided to carry a water bottle since the comments from the race last year indicated they had run out of water on the course. This year though, there were a ton of volunteers – which was really nice since they were literally just standing in the rain. It was also during mile 3 that we began to see the leads passing us on the way back in. Rude.
- Mile 3 – 12:28
- Mile 4 – 12:31
- Mile 5 – 12:35
The last mile was one more time around the mall. By now the 5ker’s had already started their race and we had caught up with some of the speedies finishing their second lap. It was rough being constantly passed as we were on our last mile. Mentally I started to feel it around 5.8 miles and asked Jeff to run next to me (he usually runs like 5 feet in front of me). Jeff was great and kept encouraging me to keep pushing through the end.
- Mile 6 – 12:00
We came around the bend and I could see the finish line just a few feet away. We picked up our pace and finished strong! I was so happy to finish our first 10k, I almost started crying. I would have never thought I could finish 6 miles and today I did, with the husband right next to me.
Unofficial Time – 1:17:05
They were posting official times, but after being in the rain for over an hour, the husband and I said “peace” and headed back to the car.
First 10k is in the bag!
