Utah Valley 10k recap!

I would choose a 10k over a 5k any day. I know that sounds crazy, but the 10k gives you some time to enter the pain cave rather than right off the bat as the 5k does for me. I’d rather be in the pot as the heat slowly comes to a boil than be thrown in the pot of boiling water;)

I woke up at 5:30 am and had some cinnamon burst bread (1000/10) from Great Harvest along with some water. I started getting ready and took my Caffeinated gel (100 mg) at 6, an hour before the race started. I used to take my caffeine right before a race started, but I’ve learned my body needs an hour for the caffeine to really kick in.

Look at this view from the warm-up:

The warm-up did stress me out, though. We were running a 9:00 pace for the 2-mile warm-up, and my breathing was labored. I was worried, thinking about how in the world I would run 3ish minutes per mile faster when I was struggling during the warm-up… but somehow it happened. We did then did 3 strides and lined up.

There was a very big miracle that occurred on Saturday morning. I was hot when I first got out of my car at the race because the sun was already on us, but as soon as we lined up at the starting line, massive clouds blocked the sun and stayed there for at least 4 of the 6 miles.

Jess and I went out, and for the first mile, it is just 10k runners. You go down a hill, make a 180° turn, and join the half marathoners (for them, it is mile 8). That is always tricky for me to make that turn and find a good spot, but from there, it’s just a straight shot to the finish line.

There is an uphill at mile 3.5ish that always makes me reconsider my life choices, but I recovered pretty well after it and felt strong until mile 5. The stretch from mile 5 to the finish line was so painful. I counted the cones on the street as I passed by to distract myself, told myself I was minutes away from a cold, crispy Diet Dr. Pepper, and kept reminding myself to fix my form because it was suffering in the end.

During that final mile, I also had to remind myself to practice what I preach because a few days earlier I had told Brooke that sometimes the key to running is not to think about how we feel. It’s easy to dwell on everything that is hurting (at this point, I was positive I was going to puke), but the real win is finding the little nuggets of good, because they are there… you just have to search a little harder for them at this point.

I’ve been 4th woman overall a few times in this race, so seeing the finishing tape out there for me to go through felt good. I was pretty sure I was in first but wasn’t 100% sure until then.

Pain face! I did put in one airpod for the race but didn’t have the volume up very high. I have no idea what songs played because I was so focused, but I did like having a beat as I was running.

Jess finished a few seconds later. I adore training and racing together. I feel very lucky.

Almost a course PR, which I am thrilled about, especially as a master now!

Now for a few tangents:

*I feel very lucky for how they cheer me on. NOTHING gets me more excited than seeing my family along the way.

*I won a very cute watch and will be wearing it from here on out.

*Seeing my parents two blocks before the finish line was exactly what I needed. I love them so much, and my dad gave me an Atta Girl at the end (which is a very big deal in our family).

*I love that the Utah Valley races offer these showers along the way. I didn’t use them for the 10k, but I do for the half or full because at that point, it is always very toasty out. I did grab a cup of water to pour on myself at mile 3.

*These shoes are the dreamiest of shoes. They are my race shoes from here on out. I mean, I’m clearly still kicking myself, but goodness gracious, these are fast. I felt like I was bouncing down the road to the finish line in them. I’ve worn so many different carbon-plated shoes, and these are my favorite. I feel like they absorbed all of the pounding. Saucony sent me this pair, but I will be purchasing my own the second I need new ones.