Charles Harris 10K

So my friend Barbie convinced me to run my first 10K of 2010. We signed up for the Charles Harris 10K in Tucker, GA this past Saturday. I was kind of nervous about it considering I haven't run a race since September 2009 but Ward had me prepared with all the mileage I had run for CCFA. Plus, we met up with a dailymile friend, Anne! Wooo!

I woke up at 5:30 am to get myself ready (per usual, I slept in my race clothes) and went to pick Barbie up. I wore my Nike blue running tights, a brand new green Nike jacket and my LSU looking Mizuno running shoes. I had two sticks of Big Red (thanks to personal trainer Cassandra for that hint!), my iPod, a water bottle for before the race, and I was ready to go. I didn't have time to make a kick ass play list so I just went with an old cardio mix.

The race was very well organized minus my not getting a t-shirt that I was promised which I was pretty bummed about it. It was a navy blue tech shirt and I don't have enough tech shirts yet! The course was fast and Barbie was nice enough to say I could leave her if I wanted to which I promptly did. There were some rolling hills and mile 4 was a bitch to put it nicely. Thank god for the 2nd stick of gum. And the mile markers with clocks to tell me how I was pacing since I don't own a Garmin! My nike jacket kept me warm- almost too warm. I could have done without the long sleeved shirt despite the chilly 26 degree starting temperature. The sun was shining and the wind was mild. The last bit of the race was uphill which was a drag but I kept on trucking.

This is the first time I have not actually heard my iPod. I swear, I was so focused and mentally chanting to keep it up and not to stop and walk that I completely tuned the damn thing out. Of course, if I had not brought it, I would have been pissed. Maybe subconsciously I heard it but I was definitely not registering it. I felt absolutely great during the race. The positive attitude helped a TON. I'm typically a negative nancy because I like to be pleasantly surprised by the outcome but Saturday I was feeling "I could do it". I mean, really feeling it. It's the first time I have felt like I might actually run under 2 hours and 30 minutes for the 1/2 marathon. And the timing is perfect because the motivation from doing that great will keep me running.

My runners high lasted most of the day and into the night. I called my parents, I facebooked and tweeted how I did and even talked about it non stop at dinner. I was so pumped. I think the satisfaction was radiating off me because I got all kinds of comments about how great I looked that night and how inspiring my trek to lose weight and run another 1/2 has been! I'm definitely ready for my next race! According to the clock time, I crossed the finish line at 1:00:22 but I'm hoping I ran about a 58 when the chip time is posted tomorrow. Fingers are crossed! Now I just need to find a race for this month!