Valentines Weekend 10k Race

Lately I've been kind of bummed seeing all my new bloggy running buddies running races all over the country. Our area only has a handful of 5k's all year and they are all pretty much from May to September so when I discovered this thing called "virtual racing", I thought I'd hit on something. My first try was a virtual 10k (6.2 miles) this weekend hosted by Becca at One Run Away. The deal was to run your 1ok anytime over the Valentine's Day weekend and then post the results on your blog. So here's how it went...

Even though Saturday was a crazy day, I knew I'd better take advantage of the gorgeous break in the weather and boy I'm glad I did. Sunday was bitterly cold with a NASTY wind all day! I was joined by my faithful 2 yr old golden retriever, Lexi, but I reluctantly decided to leave my 11 year old lab, Randy, behind. I think she wimpers the whole time we are gone but I hate to see her hobble around the next day. I also decided to run i-pod free for a change and it was actually nice. Seems like you can really clear your head on a long run out here in the boon docks. I ran 6.2 miles of gravel roads and only backtracked on the last mile to get back home. We only passed 4 houses on our route so quiet is an understatement! Here's a little insight into what I was thinking:

• Mile 1 - Why are these killer hills on the road closest to my house?!?! I really need to bring my camera one of these days so people can see what I have to deal with in the first and last mile of every-stinkin'-run I do at home.
• Mile 2 - Wow! I would have never guessed that if I ran this mile the opposite way from what I usually do it would prove there is slight decline for about 2/3 of it. No wonder I always struggled with this going the other way!
• Mile 3 - Laughed at Lexi for most of the mile. She stayed back at the intersection just staring at me as I turned the corner and headed the opposite way from the house. She is smart enough to know left turn means only two more miles, right turn means four! After she decided to join me, she had to stop and flirt with the neighbor border collies. Thank goodness she's fixed!
• Mile 4 - My favorite road around here. Perfectly flat and uninhabited. I tried to figure out who the other sets of footprints belonged to. One was mine from last week when I ran in the mud, but the other one looked like large, heavy work boots. Probably a neighboring farmer that got stuck or something and had to walk home. Wonder who???
• Mile 5 - Easy peasy and feeling good. I'm turned and headed home... woo hoo! Enjoy this stretch and pick up the pace because you know those killer hills are ahead for the last mile and they ALWAYS bring down the pace!
• Mile 6 - Killer hills. AGAIN. At least there are two downhills and only one uphill going this direction. However, the one uphill is a doozy and lasts FOREVER! Sprinted downhill to the finish line (aka stop sign!).

I don't have a fancy watch that gives me all my splits but I do know I finished the 6.2 miles in 1 hr and 9 minutes with an average pace of 11:10. The "virtual" thing doesn't give you the adrenaline rush or the competition push but it at least saved me a $20 registration fee! Thanks Becca!