Running Richmond

I ran 10 miles today! It was my first double-digit run and the first time I'd ever run for over an hour and a half continuously. It was an amazing and difficult experience.

I planned my route the night before. I decided to go across the bridge and run some on the other side of the river. I woke up around 8am this morning and started my run a little after 8:30. It was daunting to think that I wouldn't get back until 10:15!

I had to carry a water bottle with me because I didn't want to run 10 miles without water. For the first mile I was constantly readjusting the water bottle in my hand. I found the water sloshing around to be really annoying. But after awhile I forgot about it, although I did have to keep switching hands because one shoulder would start to hurt from holding my arm too stiffly.

After 3+ miles, I got to the Boulevard bridge, where I joined a running group. Most of them were wearing green shirts. As I was running across the bridge amongst all these people, an older black man fell into pace beside me. He asked me how far I was going and I told him 10 miles. He said I was keeping up a good pace and told me he was doing 5 or 6 miles. Then he got to the end of the bridge; he wished me luck and he was off up the hill. There was a volunteer there cheering for people as they ran up the hill and she yelled "Come on little girl! You're doing great!" lol.

Around 40 minutes in (mile 4) I started to feel great and got into a really good rhythm. I turned down Forest Hill, and the running group turned that way too. I continued to run with the green shirts along Semmes, then Belvidere. I started to get kind of tired around mile 6, but I was with all those other runners and I didn't want to slow down! But I did start drinking some of my water by that point. We went down hill for awhile which gave me a little break and helped restore some of my energy.

After mile 7, we came to the Belvidere bridge. That bridge seemed to last forever! I thought I would never get across it. I promised myself that once I got over the bridge I would eat some of my energy gummies. I finally made it over and turned onto Cary St, where I left the running group. Once I left the other runners, it was a lot quieter. No people talking, no one cheering us on. I ran past the undergrad campus, where most students were probably still asleep. I ate 2 energy gummies and drank some more water.

I started to get really tired around mile 8, but I'd already made it so far, so I had to keep going! When I turned onto Meadow, I knew I could make it- I had just a little over a mile left to go! I noticed that I had slowed down a lot during mile 8, so on mile 9 I tried to pay attention to my gait. I focused on getting a longer stride and keeping my toes pointed forward. I wanted to run the most efficient way possible, because I was definitely tired by that point! Also, my knees were starting to hurt. But I didn't have any side cramps or blisters, so I felt lucky that I'd made it that far with minimal pain.

I was so happy when I saw the Sauer's Company sign and I crossed Broad St onto Hermitage! It got windy and the wind gave me an extra boost for the last stretch. I didn't know whether I wanted to cry or jump for joy when I finished. I was probably too tired to jump, though. I finished 10 miles in just under 1:40, which is a 10-minute per mile pace. Slow but steady! I'll be happy if I can finish the half marathon at that pace.

Now that I've been inside resting for awhile, I feel so glad that I ran this morning. I never thought I'd be able to run 10 miles, or even that I'd have the desire to do so! If there's one thing I've learned during this whole running experience, it's that we're capable of so much more than we think. We can either live in mediocrity or we can strive for excellence. When you strive for excellence, who knows where that will take you!