Jingle All The Way 10k

I did everything wrong to prepare for this race, mostly because I didn't plan on "racing" it. My friend Natalie was running it for her first road race ever (and she did awesome! Way under her goal time), and so I was going to run it with her. I planned on 6 miles today at 9:30-10:00 min/mi pace. I stayed up late, I didn't get anything ready, I ate cookies for dinner last night, I had run once this week, for the first time in over a month, and I was definitely not in shape to race this morning.

I woke up at 6a.m. and I had nothing ready. I had decided to run to the start, since it was the best/cheapest/fastest way to get there (oh, public transportation). It was 35 degrees and raining, but while running, I didn't feel cold. I had a "fanny pack" water bottle holder with my phone, necessities, and a trash bag in place of the water bottle. As I ran to the start at a 8:20ish pace, I laughed thinking that I was running to the race faster than I planned on running it!

Problem: I couldn't find Natalie. She had checked her bag before I got there. So, as I looked for her, I was thinking "Damn it, now I actually have to run this thing." See, I tend to get competitive. That, and this was my first 10k. Clearly I wasn't going to run it very fast, but I still don't like people beating me. I walked around for the 10 minutes between my arrival and the start, and then literally stood at the start line waiting for Natalie. My first step was over the starting line and then I spent the better part of the first two miles passing people.

I'm really surprised that after all the rest, I was able to push out a 47:06 10k. I paced pretty well, my splits were:

1- 7:31

2- 7:28

3- 7:39

4- 7:38

5- 7:32

6- 7:17

I mean, I was coughing and spitting up mucous on the side, my toe was throbbing, and it was cold and rainy. So, I give myself an A for effort. However, I clearly get an F for recovery. Why does my toe still hurt?! I was freaking out the whole time, because I clearly need another week or so off, and I was supposed to start training next week. I'm going to be living at the gym, apparently, which I'm not happy about at all.

After the race, I was so cold that onlookers were very concerned. A guy on the metro even offered me his coat (I was huddled in the fetal position shivering, I don't do well in the cold). My shower was heavenly, and then I met a bunch of runners for brunch. What a fantastic morning! All in all, I ran 9 miles today, and I feel like a runner again!