With bellies full of yummy food from the night before, we woke up Saturday morning to rock the Move It Memphis 10K! Our pre-race game faces: Kara was ready to crawl through her 5K, I was channeling my favorite one-armed runner, and Nora planned on high-fiving everyone.
The weather could not been more perfect- cool and sunny with a slight breeze. Nora lives just a few blocks from the starting line so we ran to the start to pick up our race packets and circled back to pick up Kara and eat a quick breakfast. With a start time of 10:00, we had plenty of time to relax!
I remember at mile three I felt tired but knew I could keep the pace. My legs felt fresh and Nora's stories kept my mind occupied (She seriously talked non-stop for 6.2 miles and I loved every minute of it). Nora told me that, if I could keep this pace, I would be really happy with my time. She also said that she was going to keep pushing the pace, especially the last few miles. I was tired, but I trusted her.
The last half mile was horrible. The pace was hard but it was the constant turns the got me. I seriously feel like we turned 5 times before the finish line finally came into sight. Nothing is more mentally exhausting than thinking the finish line was around the corner, just to find another turn.
This picture cracks me up! I'm literally gasping for air while Nora is leisurely checking our time.
(Thanks Donna Manley Photography for letting me display my official finish)
57:38 people!
That's a 9:17 pace!!
While it definitely wasn't a fast race for Nora, I set a PR! Kara rocked her 5K as well!
Our interpretation of the race: Nora cheering while I grin and bear it! Totally worth the pain in the end!
What I learned this weekend:
1. Having friends who share your passion is the best. Also having friends who share the same bedtime of 9:30 is pretty amazing too.
2. Running with fast friends make you run faster. This only makes me wonder how fast I would be if I could run with Nora all the time.
3. Ice cream is not always the best pre-race meal.
4. Running "naked" is awesome. I will definitely start doing this more. While it would be nice to look back on my spits, it was freeing to run solely on feeling.
Best Girls Memphis Weekend ever!
Aww friend, missed you in Memphis!! Looks like you guys had a great run! Next time you are here, let's go out for a celebratory pasta lunch!
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