#1 10K Win

I started running a few years ago...well actually about 9 years ago with a long hiatus in the middle. I was first motivated after a break up. What better reason to shed some pounds (thank you very much Ian!) and started by running down the street from my apartment in Old North London. At first I would run all out and be tired in about five minutes. I quickly decided that this was not a good strategy and if I wanted to get any distance under my belt I needed to slow it down. Soon I was doing 20mins without stopping and it felt good.

Then came the hiatus, university and 20 extra pounds. Who knew taking the bus, burgers and fries, reality TV and a roommate who liked to bake could add pounds. Well, it did. After a trip to Europe where I lost three pounds I decided to continue to shed the pounds and I was going to do it by going to the gym and getting on the treadmill.

I did a 5K at the Run for Retina in 2006 and made good time (23min). A year later I bumped it up to a 10K. I was told that if you can do 5, you can do 10 and I certainly could. I started near the front and took off strong. My iPod making time with the pistons in my legs...until about 10mins in when my battery died. I wasted some time fiddling with it, not understanding why it wasn't working. Eventually I admitted defeat with the machine and focused on getting to the finish.

By the turn around point I realized that I was the first female, but there was another girl hot on my trail and I needed to keep pushing. With less than a kilometre to go, I passed some of the volunteers helping out on the course who yelled with excitement that I was the first woman to pass. This added fuel me for the final leg. Knowing that the second female was hot on my tail, I poured everything I had left into the final sprint and crossed the finish line in 49:16:2. The girl behind me finished in 49:17:8. It was that close!

I certainly had not come to this race expecting to win. I just wanted to finish. But I'm not going to complain, it was an incredible feeling to win a race. The $50 that I won went into my first Lululemon sweater and boy to I love that sweater!

They say f you can do 10 you can do a half...more to come.