10k

Steve, Nancy, & Michele
waiting for start of race.

Saturday, March 3... our first10k as runners.  As I mentioned in my last post today's training session was scheduled to be the Food On The Run 10k.  The weather was great (mid-30's to start but then headed up the mercury and eventually got sunny.)

The route started on the Ohio side of the Purple People Bridge then headed up Eggleston to Gilbert - our first turn around (and water stop) was at the base of Eden Park Drive.  So the hill was actually less than what we did last week when we went all the way to Krohn Conservatory.  The route took us back down the hill to Riverside Drive which parallels Sawyer Point Park.  We took that east and then entered the Theodore M. Berry International Friendship Park and ran along the Ohio River.  Again, I am introduced to my city - I never realized that this park went beyond the Montgomery Inn but it does and it's really a pretty park with some large scale sculptures and overlooks to the river.  I'm sure in the spring it's lovely with flowers and blooming trees.We followed the park along the river until it turned into Sawyer Point and Yeatman's Cove then out onto Mehring Way to the new Banks where there was another turnaround and back to Sawyer Point.  To get to the finish line we re-entered Sawyer Point through the "flying pig tunnel" and then right to the finish line at the tunnels under the Purple People Bridge.

Nancy and Steve crossing the finish
line - turning in their timing chips.

The race was timed - we wore a chip on our bib number ( My bib # was 1125).  This recorded our start and finish times as we crossed the start/finish pad and gave us an official timing:  I finished 836th overall; 46th in my age group (F40-44).  1:13:53 total time, pace 11:40 min/mile.  I looked back at my Thanksgiving Turkey Trot timing when I was mostly walking with some running and I did that one at about a 12:44 min/mi pace.  So running - not breaking any speed records but still faster than walking.

I'm very proud of us.  I'm proud of my cousin for running this 10k and overcoming her tendon injury.  I'm proud of the fact that we started something in December, have stuck with it through injuries and wretched weather conditions, and have steadily improved.  We're half way to the Flying Pig which  makes me think we will actually make it all the way.

Smiling faces at the end.  We did it!