The Global Energy 10k here in Orlando kicked off the race season for me. Our first race of the season occurred back in August, but this one was my first race. We really don’t have any races during the summer here in Florida because it is just too darn hot.
I signed up for this race for a couple of reasons. We did it last year and enjoyed it, it was cheap, they give you a grilled cheese sandwich at the end, and it was just 3 weeks before my first half marathon of the season. Sounds like a lot of good reasons to sign up right?
Well between spending Labor Day weekend in Atlanta, coming home with a cold, and this nasty hurricane named Irma swinging by for a visit, my training was definitely not going as planned. I was not ready, or excited, about this race but I needed to log the miles.
The 5k and 10k started together and followed the same course back towards the start where the 5k runners headed into the park to finish and the 10k runners kept going. I have to tell you that it was VERY tempting to follow those 5k folks into the park and call it a day. But regardless of how I was feeling I was GOING to finish those 6.2 miles. Thankfully I had a friend that was sticking with me and we both helped keep each other motivated.
The second half of the race included a loop around a lake which included a bit of shade which was nice. The lake takes your mind off the fact that you are right next to a major highway and still have over a mile and a half to go. The last mile was rough, but I was glad that I stuck it out and kept going past the 5k cut off.
So what did I learn from this race? I am NOT in the place I was hoping to be this close to Portugal, but I was still able to finish in a short enough time that Portugal will be doable. I have super awesome friends. And a 10k race is the perfect excuse to treat yourself to brunch!
