10K

I celebrated my July 4th by running in my first ever 10K race. I know that the city of Anaheim Hills holds an annual 5k and 10k race on independence day. Being at home last night, I sort of decided at the last minute that it would be fun to run a race. The last race I ran was the Saddleback Memorial half maration over a year ago, and I remember how fun they can be (even though at the moment they seem like torture). So I woke up early (6am), drank a cup of coffee and made my way to Canyon high school (where my brother went) and paid $25 to run the race. As it was only a 10k (half of the half marathon), it was very doable and I finished in a good time (53:19, 8:36 mile pace) and in the top third of the pack even though I had not been training (I HAD been staying fit by running/kickboxing and yoga, but I didn't do any speed work). There were no rewards except for the fruits, yogurt, cookies, T shirt, towel and water bottle I got, but I had a good time. It's amazing how good it feels to finish a race and to know that each time I ran, I've gotten faster. No wonder they say participation in sports help girls build self esteem.