Yesterday I ran 15 miles in Las Vegas; elevation 2,001 ft.
Today I ran 6.2 miles in Cedar City, UT; elevation 5,834 ft.

Normally I don’t run on Sundays, preferring to take a day off for cross-training on the day after my long runs. But today, I wanted to take part in the first ever Nike+ Human Race 10K. We drove to Utah after I got cleaned up from yesterday’s run to spend Labor Day weekend with family, so I had a slight change in running climate for this event.

For those who don’t know, the Nike+ Human Race 10K is the largest running event in the world. There were 25 cities globally that hosted races, plus people all over were invited to participate wherever they may be with their Nike+ iPod or wristband systems. Every mile logged on the Nike+ system leading up to and including race day results in a larger donation to charity. My miles are counted toward the Livestrong Foundation.

I planned my route rather poorly. More accurately, I didn’t really plan an official 10K. I just had a general idea of the area I would run and ended up running uphill the last 400m just to cover the actual distance. Not the ideal way to finish a race. Plus I didn’t have an “official” start time in mind either, so heading out to run too soon after eating breakfast wasn’t ideal, thus requiring a bathroom break in the middle of the run. But it was still beautiful weather in the mid-70’s starting on a trail that took me two miles up and then two miles back down a canyon.

I wasn’t running this for a time goal, I was just being part of running history. My official time with Nike is 1:03:13. I was pretty impressed; I wasn’t mentally prepared and I ran a lot yesterday. This means there is a sub-60 minute 10K in my future at some point, I’m sure of that.

I am not sure if I’m going to count this as my official 10K PR or not, since I’ve never actually run a 10K before. Yes, I’ve covered the distance many times, but this is the first time I’ve been part of a 10K race. Somehow the idea of pinning on a number and gathering at an official starting point seems more “real” in my mind for recording a PR.

All the same, it was still a fun concept and I’m glad I participated.