10K victory...

Well, I did it, I ran my first 10K this morning! And I did great.

Well, my finish was fairly bad, but I, myself, did great! I finished 1,878th out of 1,911 runners. I was 33rd from the last. But I consider this a win because I finished strong and ran very confidently throughout the entire race. I actually had a great run. (I told you guys I ran slow and I now you have proof.) :)

It was actually a little intimidating at the start. I got there and lined up around the back of the bunch because my pace is 15 minutes per mile and the highest pace marker was 10 minutes. I knew there was no way I could run a 10 minute mile. But as I was standing there, I looked around and everyone looked fit and skinny. I saw just a few people that looked like they might be 10 or 15 pounds overweight, but they all looked young and fit. I wondered what I'd gotten myself into. Maybe I had bitten off more than I could chew!

But then the race started and I was off running side by side with these skinny fit people.

Now, it wasn't long before they all passed me, but that was okay. I just got into my steady stride and steady breathe and ran confidently.

I usually get winded my first 2 miles, but this time I didn't. I was such a rock. I surprised myself, actually. I brought my iPod this time and put on a CD I hadn't listened to in quite a while. Used to be my favorite. It's Private Nation by Train. Listening to it helped keep me focused and helped me concentrate on my stride and my breathing. I didn't get caught up in seeing all those people passing me and freak out that maybe I should be going faster.

I Twittered again and that helped me. Kind of like everyone was going through this with me. A friend from work texted me and said she was following me on Twitter. That was cool!

I ran the whole way. I never felt like walking or slowing down. I'm so proud of how I did.

It was actually kind of funny because as I passed the 6 mile mark, these two old people—and by old, I mean really old, like late 70's or maybe even 80!—came walking past me. Yes, walking! They were walking pretty fast, but still they were walking. Was so bad.

I couldn't have them finish before me so I kicked it in gear the last 2/10th of a mile and finished ahead of the old people.

Then to celebrate my finish, we went for hot Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Oh my goodness, those things are like a little piece of heaven.

You know, I've been giving alot of thought to the shoes that I run in and I think they're just fine. I could go get fitted at a running store and buy $80-$100 shoes, but my $30 shoes from Sports Authority are doing just fine for me. They're the most comfortable sneakers I've ever had and I feel wonderful when I run.

Maybe when (if) I get to be more of a competitor, I can invest in better shoes, but for now, these are doing me just fine. That's all I was trying to say to begin with about getting a good pair of shoes to run in. I know I'm still just starting out, too. I've only been running since mid-December. And I'm just barely running, too.

By the way, I gained 8/10ths of a pound at yesterday's weigh in. I actually did great all week, drank my water every day, ate within my points (not like last week) and I exercised great this week (ran 12 miles altogether). After all, I did lose 4.6 pounds last week so a little gain this week isn't all that bad. I'm not upset with it at all.

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