First race of the summer season

In the nearly three years that I've been running races, I can't really say that I've been disappointed at my results. There was one race in the fall of 2005 that was my worst ever, but that was all my fault, and I knew it. I had, simply enough, let myself get out of shape too much. And what a difference a year can make. A year ago at this time, my longest race had been four miles. In the past year, I've done considerably longer races including a five miler, a 10K, the Virginia Ten Miler and two half marathons. I've survived knee problems, ankle pain and many other things that just got in the way. Through various training, I've gotten my 5K pace under 8 minutes a mile (7:44 pace) and even did my second half marathon in an 8-minute mile pace. But then came yesterday ... the first race of the season.

Yesterday I ran in a 10K that started in downtown Lynchburg, went up Rivermont to Riverside Drive and turned around. (Click here for results.) Overall, it's hard to say I was disappointed because my pace was right at 8 minutes a mile (49:49 overall), but it's the feeling afterward that let me know I could've ran harder. When running a race, there's this awesome pain to feel after it's over - like you just can't walk. Even though I was worn out and out of breath, I didn't get that race pain yesterday. I had too much energy afterward that I could've used on the course. I've had this happen before, and I'm glad that it's happening now and not five months from now. I'm also trying to get used to distances behind 5Ks. It's an odd feeling to have. I know in a 5K how hard I can push myself - I've now run enough to know what to do. And I still have some work to do at that distance because I'd love to break the 23-minute mark. This also was only my second 10K I've ever done. In a round about way, it's nice to know I could've ran harder - it'll make the next race all the more better. And that feeling I had yesterday following the race is one that keeps me motivated and makes me look forward even more to running my first marathon.

Please leave any questions, comments or suggestions for me. Also, if you're a runner and want me to add your blog, I'm planning to add some links to the side soon of blogs I read. So please let me know what your site is.