Fireball Classic 10K

A few weeks ago I signed up for the Fireball Classic 10K and then didn't even attempt running more than 4 miles up until the race. Here lately I've had this "I can wing it" attitude. 6.2 miles? No biggie.

At the starting line we were told that this 10K just so happens to be the hardest one in the state of Oklahoma--ruroh. They fired the gun (a real shotgun that would have made me pee my pants had I not been warned) and off we went. I literally started out in the very back of the pack--I didn't want to get caught up in the crowd and run faster than what I was prepared for. 

I still started out too fast, dang those over achieving 10K-ers! The first 3 or so miles really weren't that bad at all--it was pretty flat. But miles 4 and 5 are the hilliest part of the course. Lucky for me I had already run those monster hills before (during last year's half marathon training) so I wasn't too caught off guard. I ran my 5th mile 2 minutes and 41 seconds slower than my 6th mile-HA. 

My final time was 1:02:44, which means I did NOT reach my goal (YET) of running a 10K in under an hour. I did, however, set a new PR! Woohoo! Although my "wing it" attitude paid off pretty well, I don't plan on continuing the trend. I really really need to start preparing myself for the Spartan Beast! I must brag on this race a little--it was one of my best experiences. They had plenty of water stations, the course was well marked, and there were even people out in their front yards playing music and/or handing out water! And the stuff I got in my race packet was pretty awesome, too. Although the barbeque sauce seemed somewhat random, that stuff turned out to be pretty darn amazing! 

My 10K was sponsored by:

http://scissortailengineering.com

In other news, my shoulder is STILL NOT functioning at 100%. It is sooooo annoying. It is much better, though, but I still can't throw a ball overhand OR do push ups, which means I can't do a full burpee yet, either. Wahhhhhhhhh :'( Physical therapy seems to be going really well. Yesterday he increased my reps and my weights. It feels good to be doing something, but it's such a low intensity that I doubt I'm building much muscle at all.