Although the Nike Goddess 5K was the first race I did, Run350 was the first race I signed up for. And I honestly never thought that I would do two races within a week of each other.
But on 22 April 2012, I ran the Run350 10K.
And truth be told, I was pretty nervous going into the 10K on 22 April because I was anything but religious for the crucial last few weeks of training leading up to the race; my brain and body were pretty much switched off about training after Saturday’s 5K.
But I had three goals going into Sunday’s 10K:
- FINISH.
- NOT walk (except at like water points and stuff).
- RUN within one and a half hours.
All in that order.
But I did it.
I made it to the finish line without walking and in under one and a half hours. In fact, I think I managed to do it in 1:10:32. I still can’t believe I did it (it couldn’t have been more surreal), and I’m pretty proud of my accomplishment, if I don’t say so myself (: This especially since I could hardly run 1K without feeling breathless at the end of last year, to actually completing a 10K. That’s a pretty big deal to me.
The experiences with Run350 and Nike were completely different: the Run350 participants were definitely more experienced and the spacing along the route was much better, albeit rather boring, while Nike just seemed a whole lot more relaxed.
The first 6K was pretty manageable. But the second half of the race felt like it would never end. It was pretty much mind over matter, and forcing myself to listen to my head, not my body. I don’t know whether it had anything to do with the idea of running 10K, but getting to the finish line pretty much felt like forever after I passed 7K. I felt like giving up several times but I managed to take it home to the finish line.
Of course, not without the help of seeing friends along the way and family support (xo).
I am so proud of this medal and of the accomplishment it represents – can you tell? HAHA.
My first 10K experience was pretty amazing; I was still living off the adrenaline high one week after the race (:
I’d do it all over again.
amelia writes. 