Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Move It Memphis 10K Recap

I traveled to Memphis to spend this past weekend eating and running with the best friends a girl could ask for. Seriously these girls are amazing.
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.

I am one lucky girl to be friends with a speed demon like Nora. I'm not just bragging- she actually won 1st place in her age division last year! She so kindly offered to pace me during this race, and I nervously agreed. I also agreed to run "naked", aka- no Garmin or watch to track my pace or time. Eek!

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!

At the start, I told Nora that I would be happy to average a 10:00 minute pace, but she could push me a little towards the end. We bid Kara good luck on her 5K and lined up at the start. We started off strong with a slight conversational pace- Nora later told me the first mile was approximately a 9:30, and miles two and three were slightly over a 9:00 minute pace.

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.

Miles 4 and 5 were kind of a blur. Nora's stories are a little hazy at this point and I was just thankful for a fairly flat course.

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.

But when we crossed the finish line I was shocked by the time. Official time: 57:38! A new PR!
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! 

1 comment:

  1. 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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