I did it!!!

I completed my first 10 mile race this morning. I had never run this far before. Seriously - the farthest I've ever run was 7 miles. I was worried I wouldn't even be able to compete because I twisted my ankle two weeks ago and it is still very sore. But it held up. I experienced some intense pain around mile 7, but I was able to get through it.

The weather was perfect. The sun came out for the start and it was sunny for the first two miles. Then it was overcast until the finish. For those of you that know the area, it started at the Peoria sports complex. We ran south down 83rd Ave and ran along Skunk Creek to just past 59th Ave. Then we doubled back and finished on the other side of the ballfield. There were more hills than I anticipated because of the path that runs along that floodplain. It goes up and down the riverbanks several times.

Basically, my goal was to just finish without stopping to walk. I was able to do that and even pick up the pace a bit for the last mile. I met some nice people before and after the race. I'm glad I did it. It was a lot of fun. Now I plan to eat. A lot...

An appropriate number for me in Peoria, I think...

It was at the sports complex. The Padres do their spring training here. It's a great place to host a race. It has plenty of restrooms and places to spread out.

Me after running 10 miles. Still smiling!