LOL! I didn't know y'all were waiting with bated breath! :D
It went well. Really, really well. Completed 10 miles in 2:08 and some seconds. Which is a little faster than I anticipated, and overall was easier than I thought it would be.
The air was very cool and crisp in the morning. The race started at 8:50am for the women, 9am for the men. It was a small field of 500 runners, as it was a rural trail that is about 10 feet wide in most spots. My fingers were so cold while waiting to start. Like, popsicle cold. We realized today that it may have been in the upper 30's, only because the news was comparing this morning's temps to yesterday's.
The fingers warmed up within the first mile, and stayed nice and warm the rest of the way. The air was perfect, the weather perfect, all the participants were fabulous. Everyone was happy to be up and at 'em. I'd never been on this trail before, and it was such a lovely treat to be able to BE there. For the first couple miles, the trees formed a canopy overhead, so teeny tiny bits of blue sky showed through. On one side was a hill, littered with leaves starting to fall that was taller than me...maybe 10 feet? But it blocked the sun that was rising in the sky. The tree trunks made stripes of shadow in front of me.
There were spots where the sides opened up and the sun shone through, warming my shoulders and the top of my head, and then back into the shade again. The trees opened up at some point so there was no longer a canopy, but a perpetual "V" between the green-turning-to-brown tree tops and the blue sky. It was the cleanest, bluest sky I've seen in a long time. It reminded me of my hometown in South Dakota.
The furthest I had ever ran prior to yesterday was 8 miles. I started with 3 mile runs, then pushed 4 miles, and so on. I'm here to tell you, it seems impossible to be able to run 5 miles at a shot, but it's not. Once you can get to 5, you can get to any mileage. I'm sure of it. I was surprised each time I was training to go further and further. I anticipated having a hard time between miles 8-9-10 because it was uncharted territory, but it was just the same as the rest. Not easy. None of it was easy, but it was the same. Continuously working, kwim?
My hubby ran yesterday too. He's long and lean and had a fabulous time of 85 minutes. I know....that's like running 8 1/2 minute miles!!! SO, I got to see him twice while we were both running. Once when the men caught up to the ladies, and he just gave me a "Hey, baby!" on the way by at about 3 miles, and then since it was out and back, we high-fived on his way back when I was at about the 5 mile marker. He also walked back to the 9-mile marker with a cup of water, but I didn't need it. He hung back and let me run in on my own. At about 9.5 miles I thought my hamstring was going to go *sprong* but it didn't.
All is well. Yesterday I was unbelievably sore. Like, didn't wanna move. Couldn't think. Today, I feel just a little sore and we may go for a walk around the neighborhood. DH is REALLY sore today and says his calves hurt. I bet they do. :lol: