one down, 3 to go...

(keep reading. this wasn't on today's course. this is next week...)

so the shorty is done. (ps, not to sound one bit cocky that 10 miles is short. it's a big accomplishment and i'm proud that i've learned to run that far. but compared to 18, 20, 22, 26 miles? it's short. next year? i am asking santa for *more* 10 mile races...not marathons...)

TC 10 (and marathon) day is just about over. from here on out in the next 4 weeks, i have 3 races. 2 marathons, and a half marathon through a state park. and considering today was a bit more challenging than i had expected, i hope i don't get my a** handed to me in the coming 3 events. I feel like I'm in the deep end, and boy, this girl sure doesn't swim well.

that said, i'm up for a challenge. (or three). and i'll tackle what I'm handed. (or sign up for, as i realize this is all my doing...)

but let's focus on today....the race went like this...

5:15am-alarm goes off (though I'm pretty much awake so it's just time to get up. I don't sleep well the night before a race and my body knows what time it is, so the alarm is rarely needed. however of course i'm human, so the one night i wouldn't possibly set it, would be the time i actually sleep in and god-forbid miss a race! and i was driving two other runners today, so i had to get it goin' on time!)

5:50am-eat the pre-race banana and drink the pre-race beverage

5:55am-leave for the runner girls houses and drive to the start buses

7:10am - gun time! (we were corral 4 out of 4, and there were about 6000 runners for the 10 mile. the marathon had 2 corrals with 11,000 runners as comparison, and they started an hour later than us)

8:30am - meet cindy's sister and folks at fairview and summit, about 5 miles in...halfway there! feeling pretty okay and strong, keeping a 10:20 pace

8:50 - about 2 miles to go, and feeling a little bit tapped out. CJ got me through. she looked awesome and I just stuck to her as much as I could...

9:00 - my loving biggest fan was at the base of the cathedral cheering us on...i ran over, gave him a big smooch and kept on truckin'! the race wasn't over yet!

9:07 or so, crossed that finish line on a great downhill part of the course to the end!

So, the TC 10 had a great day for running (chilly if you were spectating, but good for going 10 or 26.2 miles) and I finished in 1:43:36. 30 seconds slower than last year, but such is life. it's seconds. and i am not a huge time girl on my races as it is.

next week is the whistlestop marathon in ashland wisconsin. it looked like this last year..


let's hope for similar weather, and i'll just get by, one mile at a time, through the wilds of wisconsin. marathon #2? here i come...after a full week at work, including my first committee meeting of this runner girl helping plan an inaugural 5K run/walk for the library! my love of work and my love of running/walking bonding? wow. who knew?