Chico Ten 2010

Hello Hello Hello!

What.a.week! If you couldn’t tell by my minimalist posts this week, I was absorbed by all things school this week. It was a tad crazy, but I managed to make it through to Friday… somehow I always do. There was little sleep, projects in the library, a 2-hour heart-to-heart phone call with my mom, and many many circles run around the track. I knew if I pushed though my responsibilities though, I would be rewarded with something fun.

… and FUN it was!

The alarm clock went off early yet again this morning, but lucky for me, it wasn’t to get to class. I was running a race :) I can’t remember the last time I ran a race; it’s been far too long. You wouldn’t know it from my blog, but I’ve probably run 30+ races in my life [not including my adolescent triathlons, swim meets, etc.]. I’ve been competing in running races since 8th grade, or so [over eight years].

When I discovered there was a local 10-mile race exactly 1 month before my big race, I got really excited. Running 10 miles is exactly where I want to be at this point, so I thought participating in a race would be a true test of where I stand with my training.

Before leaving the house this morning all by myself – my first solo race I might add – I fueled with a piece of quinoa wheat bread with a smear of peanut butter and half of a banana… then a few more bites of a second piece.

How do you feel about peanut butter before a race?

I made it easily to the start of the race in beautiful Bidwell Park with plenty of time to stretch and pump up my ‘pod. The weather was ultimate for running a race: cloudy & slightly cool – thank you, Mother Nature.

My sweet roommate planned to meet me at the finish of the race, but I guess she got there a little earlier than planned to take a few paparazzi shots.

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Where’s ~~Waldo~~ Hillary?

Almost there – about 0.25 miles to go!

Sprinting to the finish with a smile.

Balloons :)

Walkin’ it out.

Hydrating & Happy

I didn’t drink a drop during the race. The Chico State x.country runners were keeping the aid stations stocked with water and electrolytes, but the thought of consuming anything during a race makes my stomach churn. [I plan to take a few swigs of water during my half, don’t you worry.] Are you a thirsty runner?

Race Details:

I had a flexible time goal in mind, but with my lack of long runs this training season, I was a bit skeptical of my endurance. I can feel a difference in my strength between the abundance of speed workouts and strength training (BodyPump = love), but I didn’t know what that would do for a 10-mile run.

Lesson learned today: You are stronger than you think you are.

Mile 1: 7:45ish – Ummm, holy crap. Slow down, Hillary!

Mile 2: 15:45ish – No need to be going this fast. You’ve got 8 miles to go.

Mile 3: 24ish – Ok, so 8-minute miles seems to be the theme?

Mile 4: 32ish – Am I really still doing this?

Mile 5: 40ish – Halfway done. Hope I don’t ‘crash ‘n’ burn’.

Mile 6: 48ish – I love running.

Mile 7: 56ish – Jamming to my tunes, feeling strong.

Mile 8: 64ish – I owe you, WREC track.

Mile 9: 72ish – You’re getting under 80, girl.

Mile 10: 78 something – I’m waiting for the official results to go up; will update via Twitter.

What I would have done for a Garmin Forerunner/exact mile splits!

I honestly did not know I had that in me. And the scary part… it wasn’t that tough. The course was completely flat, but I was comfortable and relaxed until about mile 8.5… then I cranked up my new playlist, started to kick up my heels a bit higher, and me a my pacing partner [some random guy] began pushing one another.

What does this do for my expectations for the half!? I have no clue. Do I account for the SF hills, or push for the same pace?

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Feeling like 100 bucks, my roommate and I strolled back through the dewy park to our cars. I made a pit stop at Starbucks for a tall latte before coming home to make waffles for my cheerleader and I.