On Saturday I ran my first “official” 10K. I guess I tend to do these things in all the wrong order, huh? It would appear that many people do a 5K and then build up to longer distances. Not me, I start out with the grand-daddy and work backwards! (Well, I didn’t start out with an ultramarathon, but still…)

Anyway, I ran the Mardi Gras Masquerade 10K, a local race organized by Calico Racing. They offered strands of beads and crazy feathered masks for runners to wear while running. I couldn’t imagine running in a mask, and apparently others in the race didn’t like that idea all that much either. About 2 minutes into the race I heard someone behind me say, “Well, this mask thing isn’t going to last long… what a pain!” I could have told her that in advance!

The race was an out and back on the River Mountains Trail, a trail that will eventually cover 35 miles here in the area, connecting Las Vegas, Henderson, Lake Mead, Boulder City… it’s a pretty cool concept. The trail is both flat and “gently rolling” hills. Our course started out straight up a hill, but that was okay, it meant I got to pass a bunch of people right away and a good downhill finish.

I was a little uncertain if I should have run, seeing as how my hip/glute/hamstring/something has been hurting since Tuesday night. And even with the pain, I’ve continued to run on it every day and the pain has just gotten more intense. But I was already paid and registered for the race, so I figured I should go ahead and attempt it!

Another reason I was a little unsure was the fact that… how shall I put this delicately? Hmmm…. it’s not really a delicate issue so I guess I’ll just state it bluntly… I had the trots all night before the race. So I was pretty depleted going into the race, not the best way to start, right?

The hip/glute/hamstring/something pain was pretty omnipresent throughout the race. I had to walk for about a quarter of a mile about 4 miles in because the pain was so overwhelming. But when I crested the hill I was going up, I saw the top of the hotel where the race ended (and started) so I picked it up again and started running, knowing the sooner I reached that the sooner I could stop for real!

I ran the race with my friend Marci. Well, I should say we went to the race together and left together. We have different paces, but what I love about her is that she understands that people run at different speeds and doesn’t get upset if we don’t run next to one another the whole time.

The race was a little bit chilly at the start, probably in the low 40’s. I wore my New Balance capris, a long-sleeve top and gloves. If my hands are too cold right from the start, they are raw and painful the whole day. I took the gloves off after 4 miles, about the time I had to start walking. However, since this wasn’t a really long race I wasn’t wearing a hydration belt so I didn’t have anywhere to hook them, so I stuck them in my pants. SEXY!

After I had turned around at the halfway point I had several people saying hi to me on the race course. At first I thought everybody was just really friendly, because I didn’t recognize any of them. But then I even had a couple people call out to me and say, “Hi Jill!” or “Hi Fleet Feet Web Girl”. Huh? How do all of you people know me?!

But I did see someone I knew on the course. Victor, a guy who runs with us at Fleet Feet sometimes and also ran the ET race last summer with our Fleet Feet group, was in the race. He waited for me at the finish line (he finished a few minutes before me) and it was good to see him; since he’s been so busy with work he hasn’t had a chance to run with us as much lately.

Post-race food included cereal, fruit, bagels (complete with toasters and cream cheese), graham crackers & marshmallows, water and Hammer Recoverite.

My final time according to the race web site is 58:12. My Garmin said 57:58. Whatever, either one is a PR since I’ve never officially raced this distance before! That’s a 9:22 pace. I was 12th in my division. However, if I’d been 10 years younger or 10 years older, it appears I would have had a chance to place in my division. Just a silly little thing I noticed that has absolutely no bearing on reality!

Overall, I’m pretty pleased with the outcome. That’s the furthest I’ve run since Phoenix and I’m still not feeling 100% like myself. I had fun at the race and I had good company at the race!