This morning I ran a virtual 10k race!
A few of my blogger friends set up the virtual 10k as a fun way to motivate others to stay active during the holidays. Great idea! I was clearly on board (and was happy that they reopened registration this morning for those of us that missed the original boat). Interested in joining in on the fun? Click here for more info and to register; Stephanie also has a post up with reports of how other’s races have gone so far — check it out! There are even prizes up for grabs.
The virtual 10k was exactly the motivation I needed to work on speed. I’d let myself settle into not pushing myself as hard pace-wise on runs lately and was excited to challenge myself and see just what I could do! I treated it like a real race and went out to my favorite trail determined to remind my legs that they could still be fast.
Compression sleeves get bonus points for acting as leg warmers this morning!
So, guess what? I set a new 10k PR (personal record) this morning! Does it count if it’s not a “real” race? 🙂
I ran the 6.2 miles this morning in 50:22 — an average pace of 8:07. Woohoo! My old PR is 51:34 from last year’s Jingle All the Way 10k here in D.C. (sadly I didn’t make it home from school in time this year to do the race again).
Here are my splits. I was proud of myself!
- Mile 1: 8:27
- Mile 2: 8:28
- Mile 3: 8:23
- Mile 4: 8:00
- Mile 5: 8:01
- Mile 6: 7:35 (!)
- Final 0.2 mile nubbin pace: 7:19 (!)
As you can see, I got progressively faster as the race went on. The first couple miles I was feeling a bit tired and stiff, but at the turnaround point, I started to feel really good. I thought to myself “I should try to do the last mile in under an 8:00 min/mile” — and apparently just thinking about that challenge looming had me running faster for miles 4 and 5, too! When I saw on my watch (my splits pop up every mile) how close I was to being under 8:00 mins for those two miles, I was even more determined to make the last mile speedy. Well what do you know — I blew my own challenge out of the water! I’d forgotten how good it felt to really push myself and then achieve a goal. Apparently these legs have still got it, I just needed to remind them. 🙂
Whew! Great run. This is my “I’m tired now” face. I wish I’d had a cute holiday-themed outfit to wear on the run — I was not very festive! Ohhhh well. 🙂
I came home feeling triumphant and proud. Next time you’re working out or getting in a run — whether it’s today, or tomorrow, or the next day — challenge yourself. See what you can do. You might be surprised. 🙂
Are any of you planning to participate in the virtual 10k as well? You have until December 26th; let me know how it went! Merry Christmas Eve — I’m off to enjoy some hot chocolate and a movie. 🙂
