Soldier Field 10 Miler

Writing this blog on the train on the way to visit Heather. This morning I ran the race of my life thus far. I’ve been training for weeks for my 10 mile race. Somewhere along the course of training the idea of finishing in 1 hour 30 minutes popped into my head and I began to want it bad. Of course, I said, “Oh, I’d be happy to finish in between 1 hour 30-1 hour 40,” but what I really wanted was 1:30 because that is a 9 minute per mile pace.

Reasons I was able to do this and accomplish one of my goals today:

·      0Used Hal Higdon’s intermediate training plan for a 15k and only had one off week due to sickness.

·      0This plan incorporates speedwork and tempo runs so that you get used to running at a faster pace for a longer period of time (up until today the furthest I had run at under a 9 minute pace was 5.07 miles). But thanks to these tempo runs, I knew what that pace felt like, and I knew I could handle it.

·     0 I’ve run a freaking marathon in the past so absolutely nothing feels unattainable to me now.

·     0 I used mantras and positive affirmations when the going got tough, and it did get tough.

·      0I listened to music this time. I knew there would be limited course support cheering us on so I used my music to keep myself moving.

·      0I only stopped two times briefly to walk and drink water.

·      0The weather was perfect for running—high 40s, cloudy, no wind.

·      0I was freaking determined. Ain’t nobody can stop me when I’m determined.

This race was so super fun. It starts and ends at Soldier Field. The course runs south down Lakeshore drive for almost 5 miles before turning around and heading back along the lakefront path. The finish line is on the Bears’ 50-yard-line at Soldier Field. I have to say, this was just as cool as I thought it would be. They put you up on the big screen as you finish, and I really got caught up in the excitement. I was so happy too, because my friends Shelby and Carlos (who I met through volleyball) were sitting in the stands watching me finish. They got some great pictures of me on the field too. I never have people cheering me on at my races so that was really fun.

I feel so crazy proud and ridiculously happy. I feel amazing and like a true athlete. It’s taken me a long time to get to this point but I know I am a runner, a marathoner, and an athlete. When I put my mind to something, I can accomplish it if I just work hard enough and believe in it enough. And I needed every little bit of that determination because it got HARD at the end. I had to keep pushing myself even though my body wanted me to stop.

A few stats because I can’t help bragging just a little bit. Final results according to the official website: I came in 4,314 out of over 12,000 total, 374 out of around 1400 in my age group among women, and around 1600 out of 7,000 or so women. Official time was 1:30:27 (9:03 pace).

I’ll never forget this race and will only keep pushing myself further to be everything I can be.