Yesterday I ran my first 10k race! I finished in 49:46. I've run longer races (two HM and one Marathon) but I've never raced a 10k until yesterday. I really enjoyed it! The weather wasn't ideal, freezing rain, temps around 28 degrees, and the course was moderately hilly, but I liked the experience. I ran with Rockenmam, Gwen, Gwen's sister Maria, and my oldest son (16) Anthony; it was his first 10k as well. I wasn't sure of what to expect with it so I kept from really pushing myself. My breathing was better than it's ever been, right from the start I kept my breathing nice and easy (this is usually an issue for me). I felt great until the last hill, which was the biggest hill. Looking up the hill I thought to myself, well, once I get to the top of that I have just a half mile to go. Not a problem. WELL...that hill drained my legs. I got to the top and my breathing was a little out of whack and my legs were TIRED. I also noticed a slight sign of my Asthma kicking in at the top of the hill, kind of caught me off guard. My right hamstring which is still freshly healed, gave me a few warning pinches during some of the hills but nothing more. The finish was on a track and I had planned on speeding up and zipping around the track but there was just NO WAY that was going to happen. Today my legs are a little stiff, but I haven't gotten the chance to run yet. Once I run they'll be fine. I will definitely do more 10K races and I will set a goal and add more 6.2 training runs into my schedule. The race itself was fairly large, I believe around 800 runners. Afterwards they had soup and hot cocoa and fruits. We didn't stick around for the awards since it was sooooo cold and I had a soccer banquet to get to anyhow. We also KNEW we weren't placing. My son did great! He finished in 52:20! Not bad at all for it being the longest distance run he's ever done! He got a kick out of having ice on his race bib at the end of the race. I thought that was cool too! I learned about running in these temps too. That was the first time that I've ever run in those conditions. Under Armour is great stuff...cotton pants over top of them is NOT a good decision. Gloves and hats are great...two pairs of socks are NOT great. Also, bringing a complete change of clothes is very very smart. We were freezing after the race.

sorry michelle - i missed this when you first posted it. congrats on your first 10k - your PR is almost the same as mine (not for long i'd imagine given your speedy 5k PR!) it sounds like you had a great time anyway.

Thank you everyone. I did have fun that day, and mostly enjoyed getting to run it with my son. I'm anxious to get to run another 10k but will wait until the spring. I want to work on being able to maintain the same speed for the whole race and not worry about how much hills will slow me down (like they do now). So, lots of work to do.