Starting with Friday night, we ended up having a much more relaxed night than what I had expected. We had planned to have everyone over to our house to make some homemade pizza and make pretzel necklaces for the World Beer Festival that we were all attending on Saturday. All but 4 of us were feeling under the weather with sinus and head colds, so we decided to cancel the get together. It actually worked out well, because we all got to get a little more rest and sleep than we would have if we all got together. Instead, the remaining 4 went out to a fancy Italian dinner.... Olive Garden.
Even though I know "carb loading" is not actually necessary for a 10k, for some reason, I wanted pasta on Friday night. I think because everyone "thinks" you are supposed to eat a lot of carbs before a race, it was just on my mind.
We rarely go to Olive Garden, but I really do love that place. Sometimes, chain restaurants are just what you are in the mood for, and I totally enjoyed my bread sticks, salad, and cheese ziti. It was delicious.
After dinner, Mike and I headed home and got ready for bed. It was an early night in for a Friday, but with everything we had planned for Saturday, we knew we were going to need the sleep.
I laid everything out for Saturday morning, but when I woke up, it was much chillier outside than I had planned. I ended up throwing on some knee high socks and a long sleeve t-shirt over my clothes to keep warm.
We got to the race with lots of time to spare, so we met up with Layne (our running buddy) and chatted a little before we took off.
I was really nervous about running this race. I am not really sure why I was so nervous, but I had a jittery stomach all of Friday about it. I guess just the unknown, having never ran a 10k before. Mike and I actually took the bibs of some friends that couldn't make it to the race, so we ended up using alias names to run. Meet Elizabeth and Mark!
Pretty soon, we had to line up for take off.
The first 3 miles went by so fast, and I remember thinking that I was going to have no problem finishing the run. Mike and I actually ran together during this whole time and it was really fun. We were running way too fast though, doing almost 8:40 miles. I had to force myself to slow down.
Mile 3-4 just plain sucked... There was only 1 hill on the entire course, but we had to go up it twice. It was a long, slow, painful hill, so having to go up it for the second time between mile 3 and 4, just annoyed the heck out of me. I started to get really negative and even a little nauseous. Toward the end of that time, I decided I needed to be thankful that I can even run in a race, and to suck it up. In addition, my Pandora Station of 80's Cardio helped lift my spirits by playing some awesome tunes.
I don't remember hating the last 2 miles of the race, but I definitely slowed my pace down a lot. Mike was probably 50 yards ahead of me at this point, but he eventually gained a bunch more speed because I didn't see him in the last few minutes of the race. When I passed the mile 6 marker, I was relieved, but felt like those last .2 miles were the longest ever. I was ready to be done, ready to celebrate, ready to gag.
Luckily, I didn't vomit and I finished the race in really good time. I finished in 54:22, with an average pace of 8:45 (!!). I can't even believe how fast I was going! Thankfully, I didn't put Elizabeth's name to shame!
I am so proud of all of us for finishing the race! It was a lot of fun, and I am just amazed with how much our bodies and endurance have changed over the last year.
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After the race, we had to run home and immediately get showered and ready for the World Beer Festival. We normally attend this every year, but this year was a little extra special since it was one of my best friend's 30th birthdays. A lot of my friends (including myself) will be taking that leap into the 30s this year, but she is one of the first to go.
After Beer Fest, we headed back to my house to do some cake and presents for the birthday girl. I ordered this cake from a local bakery and it was AMAZING. They did an awesome job on the art and the cake was delicious. In case you are local... Blue Moon Bakery in Cary. So awesome.
After cake and presents, we rallied the group for Jessica's birthday - round 2! Karaoke at a local bar... it was quite the evening.
My friends and I have been singing 'Shoop' by Salt N Peppa since we were in high school, so of course, that is what we sang at the end of the night.
It was so much fun, listening to some really awesome (and awful) singers, laughing, dancing, and of course some crying. After drinking all day and then throwing some emotional girls about turning 30 this year into the mix, we had a "moment."
The 3 of us have been best friends since we were about 15 years old, and we have remained incredibly close after all these years. We have been through so much together - surviving high school, finishing college, different boyfriends, all of our weddings, living together and then subsequently hating each other, family drama, having babies (well, 1 baby).... and I could go on and on and on... It is hard to believe we have been friends for 15 years.
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My hamstrings have been feeling the burn since Saturday, so I got cozy with a foam roller at the gym this morning, which was heaven... more on that and our Sunday in tomorrow's post.
Have a great day! I may be falling asleep at my desk later.
Yesterday's Stats:
Calories (-) 297
Sodium (+) 1005
Protein (-) 20
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