1:09:40.0

 Even though I arrived home before midnight on Saturday, I really didn't sleep that well. I tossed and turned and when I did doze off, it was such a light sleep that I woke up when my Dad came home from his on call shift around 3 or 4 am.

My alarm went off at 5 and I scarfed down a couple of pieces of whole-wheat bread with peanut butter. I methodically dressed in all my running gear and made sure I had my id and some cash in my running belt. I filled a couple of water bottles with water and gatorade and I packed a post-race bag for my mom to bring down when she picked me up. I grabbed a wool blanket to keep me cozy in the car on the way down and my mom drove me over to the Running Room to meet up with my ride.

I caught a lift with Robynn, a fellow ginger runner. It was really nice to ride with her, since I haven't yet had a chance to get to know her. We picked up another runner from our group and we were down at the SportingLife store before 7am. We took advantage of the ridiculous amount of port-o-potties and made our way to our meeting place. We took a pre-race photo before heading to our corrals.

It was pretty cold, so we huddled together and ran on the spot to keep warm. It seemed like ages before it was finally time for us to start running! When we finally started, it wasn't long before the tightly packed corral started to break up. I really enjoyed this run-- it's just like I've been told, almost all downhill. Even though I was automatically faster than usual, I tried to run with control to preserve my knees from any damage. I was able to keep a pretty good pace the whole way. Every so often, there was a band playing live music, which was really cool! There were steel drums, a saxophone quartet, a dude playing drums and the didgeridoo at the same time and a few guitar bands, too.

I felt really good the whole race, but when I got to the 9km mark, I felt fantastic! Everyone was cheering and the family and friends along the sidelines were shouting encouraging help. I saw one little girl pumping her fist and exclaiming 'Da Mommy Da, Da Mommy Da!' (I think she was saying 'Go Mommy Go!') About 200-300 metres from the finish line, I saw Meg and Jay! Even though I was waving and waving, they didn't recognize me at first. I said 'Hey, you guys made it!' and They jumped up and down and cheered me on! It was jsut eh push I needed-- they gave me a real burst of energy at the end. When I saw the finish line, I started sprinting and I finished with a time of 1:09:40.0. Which is my best time ever! (My Mom snapped these picks as I sped by… I didn't even see her in the crowd at the finish line!)

I cooled down by walking through the pen, picking up my shirt and medal (woot! I've never received a medal for anything athletic before!) and looking around for my fellow running group runners. I found a few of them, but somehow we lost eachother again. I found my Mom and Dad and they took a victory photo of me, mowing down a bagel. They were so excited for me!

 Eventually, I found the rest of my group and we took a group picture! We are all so proud of eachother for finishing well!

I feel so great for being able to run 10k in such a good time! If you had told me to run 10k in highschool, I would have laughed! I've never been sporty and I actually thought I couldn't run! But anyone can, you just gotta start small and work your way up! I have always been so surprised by how quickly my body responds to running-- it's so easy to build up your endurance by adding a little more distance each time. I really encourage everyone out there who wants to improve their health to start running. Running is good for your heart, it will help you sleep better and your legs will look fantastic!

I can't wait to continue my training for my next race!