Tufts 10K For Women

Yayyyy!! Today was the day! I was so happy to complete the Tufts 10k For Women in Boston. The course was beautiful, starting at Boston Common, looping around the Charles River, Storrow Drive, Boylston Street, and finishing in front of the Common!

Yesterday I went to City Sports to pick up my bib and race packet... the best part about races is the goodies that come along with it! It made me even MORE excited to run, if that is possible.

Nothing better than another race shirt :)

I was so excited to put my training to the test. I haven't followed any specific training plan, but I was able to squeeze in a few 6 mile runs over the past few weeks, mixed in with my typical shorter runs. I think that really helped me to mentally prepare for the actual race, when everyone is zooming past you and you seem to lose track of your typical pace! Running in a crowd is so different than running by yourself! I filled my iPod with running essentials (thank you Paige and Jaycee), ate delicious carbohydrates all weekend, loaded my body up with water, and rested all day Sunday. I was R.E.A.D.Y!

These little babies carried me through :)

Today I got to Boston Common, stretched, (peed like 6 times, I was so excited), and lined up! It was FINALLY time to start running so I started my watch, blasted some Kap Slap "Back To School Mix" in my headphones, filled my lungs with air, and we were OFF! I tried to start nice and slow, forced my brain to stay focused and positive, and didn't let myself stop once. I didn't even get a side-ache (these are huge accomplishments for me!). Just under 52 minutes later, I was crossing the finish line, where I was SO HAPPY to find my darling roomate Erin surprising me and congratulating me on my finish! Thank you for supporting me Erin!!!

Successful Finish! I had so much fun!

The race was amazing. It is always so incredible to see so many people out being active and supporting a great cause. More importantly, I was so proud of myself. To me, running is not about winning or getting the best time. It is about competing against MYSELF, working to better myself physically and mentally, and about proving to myself that I CAN do anything I set my mind to. Sometimes I get so down about the stresses of life: nursing school, relationships (or lack there of), exam grades, being homesick, and wondering what I'm meant to do in this world. I kind of had an epiphany today at the race: it doesn't matter who is surrounding you, who is supporting you, or how perfect your life is. Live your life to the fullest, find something you enjoy, and work hard at it! Running is exactly that for me, and it is SO wonderful to have a passion that ONLY I get to control! It was the most amazing feeling today knowing that I finished this race because I worked hard to get there! Sorry to get all sappy :)

The motto of the race is "Start Strong, Finish Stronger" and based on that last paragraph, I would say I did!

Look how much stronger I finished!!! (this is a joke)

It was such a great race, that I came home and started researching when my next 10k could be! If you haven't ever run a race, I strongly suggest trying it! Compete against yourself and give yourself something to work towards! I have a 5k this Saturday and I couldn't be more excited! (nerdy, I know!)

Thanks for reading everyone! I can't believe I've had over 4,200 views on my blog!! If you have any suggestions, I'll take them! Thank you!

Morgan