Proud to Run 10K

I got on-site a little after 7am, grabbed my bib and race shirt. Race day pickup lines were totally manageable. I met up with Michael and David in the event area, we did the group warm up, and snapped some photos together. Before we know it, it was time to hop into the corrals. The signs indicated a lot of space for those who run around 6 minute miles and even faster for a 10K, but we held back a bit.

Start gun was right on time at 8am, and the race starts on a sandy asphalt path. It's a bit narrow, so I'm running up on the grass to make room and get out head of the crowd a bit. My first mile came in at around 7:00 min, which I was actually really surprised by, considering the crowded start. If I could hold onto that pace for the race, I'd be happy. But I did feel the need to slow down as we looped up around the coast of Lake Michigan. I tried to moderate my pace as best as possible so that I was challenged, but not overdoing it. After all, it's only been 7 days since my PR at Grandma's Marathon.

Heading back down south, past the 5K finish line when it's time to make a big loop on a gravel path around some sports fields, then further south where there's a sudden hairpin turnaround after mile 5. I almost lost my footing there. Knowing I just had a mile to go, I just needed to hold onto my pace for a bit more.

I crossed the finish at 44:43, which I'm really happy with considering I'm still recovering from last week's marathon.

Overall, this race was fantastic. There were great vibes and lots of people there to challenge themselves or just have fun. Although the course can be very narrow throughout the race, the field size is small enough to make it mostly manageable. Course marshals effectively guided me at the more confusing parts of the course. I hope I can run this one again some day!