This was the fourth time that I ran the Great Race in Pittsburgh and probably the best experience that I've had yet.
It didn't start out so smoothly though! My wife and I had to drag each other out of bed and get downtown early so we could park and then jump onto the buses to get to the beginning of the race. My wife was running the 5K for the first time. Her race started first and then my 10K started right after she would be done. She was nervous because this was her first time so I wanted to make sure that she wasn't rushing to get to the starting line.
That didn't workout. We were too late to get to the buses so I just drove to the starting line and luckily I found some street parking. This was nice because I was able to walk her to the start line and make sure she was good. She was cold, kind of cranky, but she was ready and looked great! We took a few pictures and then she was off! I was so proud of her and she did a really good job.
On to my 10K! I was ready! I had my Ipod with my running music. My Nike sweatband was keeping my bald head warm. I had my brand new running outfit on from Gabes! I looked like a runner!
I was able to take the bus since I was early for my race. The bus ride to the 10K start line was so long. Once you get off of the bus there was a long wait to get to the starting line. So it was kind of rushed and I wasn't able to get my mind totally focused.
Well the starting gun went off and after a few minutes I had to get mentally ready and off I went! The 10K starts off with some tough hills. Just from recent experience I knew I just had to take my time with the hills because after the hills there is some down hill running. I did exactly that and I felt really good. My legs felt great and I was keeping up with the 8.30 Pace runners. Usually I run this race alone so there was nobody waiting for me at the end. Since my wife ran this year and her race was earlier I knew she would be somewhere around the finish so that was extra motivation for me to keep going.
I had a really good run. I averaged about 8.30 per mile and that's where I wanted to be. Next time I'll set my goals to 7.45 probably.
It's such a great feeling when you cross that finish line. It's such an accomplishment no matter what type of race you run. Like I said before I ran this race alone the previous 3 times but this time was so special to do it with my wife. I'm going to work here hard this year so she will try the 10K next year with me! Maybe