OK now let's try 10km!

After successful completion of a 5km race without the need of a defibrillator I signed up for my next challenge, a 10km race!!!

There are so many options for 10km races, almost every weekend you'll find two or three around the city. I decided on the Xerox 10km which would be a combination of paved path and trail run. Sounded delightful!  As I look back now over my running history there is one red flag that I failed to see before every race...I never looked at the route before race day. Even now, of the 5 half-marathons I've run in the last two years I only looked at two of the routes...and funny enough those two were the races I have set personal bests...maybe there is a connection.

Anyway I continued my exhausting outdoor running in preparation for the Xerox 10km, of course only running on flat paved pathways.  I showed up on race day to the beautiful arboretum, surrounded by lakes, beautiful trees, flowers, AND DEAR MOTHER OF GOD WHAT IS THAT HILL?  Denial has been a good friend to me over the years so she and I headed to the start line. Apparently the track was a 3.3km loop, starting out downhill, turning into a flat then at the 2.5 km you had to scale the hill on a gravel and dirt path...good times. I never run a loop, I love an out and back, you know exactly when you've hit half way, and on an out and back you can't get lapped, over and over and over again.

And this is exactly what happened to me.  I swear I hadn't even made it to the hill and some showoff lapped me, then his buddy and then a steady stream. Oh well time to focus and tackle the hill.  Gravel is fun, you take a step and you slide back a little bit, great motivator. After a fair amount of cursing I made it to the top....woohoo only two laps to go!

This race was tough! But I made it to the end, only to discover I was last!  LAST!!!  My friend Teresa tried to convince me someone came in after me but I think she was just being kind. I will say I was discouraged but as the pain of the race finished I started to focus on the positives:
- I ran a 10km race!
- I ran on a trail which I'd never done before
- I could only improve from here!