I was nervous for today.
I haven't had the time to do much running recently, even though I've been pretty active. But not what I was hoping for heading into my first 10K.
As the morning unfolded, I came up with a list.
Jeff Parker's Rules for Running a Race
1. (For the venue) If you have one speaker at the starting line, don't expect the entire crowd of thousands to hear anything the announcer says.
2. If you can not run a mile, do not start at the front of the pack. Especially when there are pacing groups.
3. Not every woman should be allowed to wear spandex shorts or pants.
4. NO man should be allowed to wear spandex shorts or pants. Or booty shorts (yes, that happened).
5. If you quickly change your path OR stop, please look behind you before you do so. You might get trampled.
6. Nobody under the age of 14 or over 60 should be allowed to run. When they beat me, I feel bad about myself.
Ok, now the race.
It. Was. Awesome!
The race started outside Sports Authority Field at Mile High (Broncos), went through the Pepsi Center (Nuggets/Avalanche), and through Coors Field (Rockies), looped back, and the finish line was at the 50 yard line of Mile High. The sports fan in me loved every second. The runner in me hated it. Because at the entrance to each stadium, since thousands of people were funneling through small hallways, everyone had to walk for a little bit while trying to cram into them. Those small breaks honestly added probably 6 minutes to my time. So I realized that it might not be the best race to try to set a PR or in my case, set the bar for a 10K, but as I ran through the tunnels and saw views of the stadiums that nobody else gets to see, it was all worth it.
For the majority of the race, I was fine. Good pace. Good rhythm. In the zone. I smiled as I crossed mile 5, but then I started to crash. Honestly, the last mile was the 3rd most difficult mile I have ever ran in my life (2001 when I ran my first mile at 275 lbs, 2010 when I ran my first mile at 284 lbs). Miserable... Aching... Must... Keep... Going...
As I rounded the corner of Mile High, entered the tunnel, saw the field, and more importantly- the finish line, I took off. 6.2 miles later, I crossed the finish line.
Had there not been the stalls at the stadiums, I probably would have finished somewhere in the 1:02-1:05 mark, but I have to go with when I crossed the finish line.
Official time:
1:09:12
Shoutout: I received this in the mail the other day from a great new friend. Thanks for the support!
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