You don’t know how badly I wanted to name the title of this post “10k and Mother’s Day” just because it rhymes. But, according to the matriarch of my house, Mother’s Day should be a whole weekend. I guess she’s right, although I did try to throw the “it’s not Sunday yet” fit when she told me to vacuum.
Moving along…
All Children’s 10k
Saturday morning I ran the Running For All Children 10k in St. Petersburg, FL. For those of you who don’t know Florida, it’s about 20-25 minutes from where I live in Tampa. Not only was this the most beautiful course (100% along the water) and organized for a fantastic cause, but it was the first 10k I’ve run since 2010. I don’t know why, but 10k’s just haven’t been on my radar. Actually, I do know why: they are hard to race. 5k’s are (relatively) short enough to push yourself the entire time. Half marathons are longer and require some pacing. The 10k (6.2 miles) is a weird distance where you want to conserve speed but still push your pace. Awful description, I know.
Since I ran this solely for fun I didn’t have a goal time, which is a recurring theme in my races if you can’t tell. It was a small race (only 400 participants in the 10k) and I didn’t know my pace throughout. My only indicator of effort was that I was breathing heavy by the end. I would say that I kept the first 3 miles relatively steady and then pushed myself for the last 3.2. I don’t have mile splits, but my final time was 49:32, a 7:59 min/mile. You know it’s a small race when that speed wins the 20-24 age group haha….not normal. However, for typically running a 8:30-9 min/mile pace, this felt challenging but doable for me.
I did a 1.25 mile warm-up and .5 mile cooldown for a total of about 8 miles. (Warming up before a race = a genius idea. Why don’t I do that more often?). It was a picturesque morning!
Mother’s Day Weekend
The rest of the weekend was dedicated to mom. For probably 12 of my 21 Mother’s Days on earth, we have gone biking. Last year we were driving back from Miami and “had to” have brunch instead, but this year it was back to the outdoor, adventure-ish activities.
We rented two double kayaks and stayed out on the water for an hour or so. One of my mom’s Mother’s Day presents was a waterproof phone case so we put it to the test. It’s nice to have a phone out on the water (music, photos, safety) without having a heart attack at the thought of it dropping.
Later, we watched the Tampa Bay Lightning win (Go Bolts!), went to church and then ended the night with a picnic in the park while listening to music.
For a day when I don’t get to pick the activities, it wasn’t too bad.
Linking up to Katie for MIMM!
Lol to the title argument. But I guess what she says goes, right? #ladyofthehouse
I love me a good 10k. It is a right hard distance to run, so good job! You can’t quite go all out, but you can’t slack either. It is about pacing the hurt, lol.
Susie @ SuzLyfe recently posted…Anxiety and Moving Weekend
Yup, exactly! Pacing the hurt is something I’m not familiar with lol
I feel like I would have loved 10ks! The longest I ever ran was like 8 miles, so I think the 6.2 would have been a perfect race distance for me…maybe!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine recently posted…Beet & Leek Cassava Crust Pizza
I agree that it’s a great distance! Just pacing myself was a struggle because I wanted to push myself, but not too much :)
Sounds like a perfect weekend! I love your mother’s day activities :) I have never raced a 10k, it was my plan to race one this spring/ summer, but then I ended up signing up for a 10k+5k race, so that’ll be interesting. I have no idea how to pace myself for that one and it’s on trails so it will probably be a rather tough race. Great job on your race!!
Brie @ Lean, Clean, & Brie recently posted…Graduation Weekend Highlights
That will be fun though! So you run a 10k, stop, and then 5k? Or is it a 15k straight? I think you’ll do awesome, you always train so well!
Oh I am so jealous of all that sunshine and that sweaty run…HA! So glad that you had a wonderful Mother’s Day! :) You guys are the cutest…Enjoy that warm weather for me…PLEASE!
ACKTIVE LIFE recently posted…Slowing Down and Practicing Self-Care
Taking advantage of the outdoors time before it gets too hot! Then I’ll pass it your way ;)
You three are so cute! Your kayaking adventure looks so fun! I can’t wait until it’s warm and sweaty around here!
Morgan @ Morgan Manages Mommyhood recently posted…Best of the Weekend: Mother’s Day 2016
Thanks, Morgan! I feel so lucky that we’ve had great weather. Not too too hot yet! Hope you had a great Mother’s Day :)
You did a really fast pace Emily! :) And that sunrise looks like an EPIC way to start a race. :) God’s murals are AMAZING.
Emily recently posted…What Mom Taught Me About Body Image
It was a “pinch me” sunrise!
The first race I ever did was a 10k trail race and I’d never run that far before so it was certainly challenging! I don’t think I’ve done another 10k since. It looks like you had the perfect weekend!!
I only did trail races during cross country in high school and those were only 5ks. Can’t imagine how challenging a 10k would be!
Great job on your race! I’ve never raced a 10k, I’ve done several 8ks though which is an odd distance I think. And that sounds like such a fun Mother’s Day! I love kayaking so much.
Amanda @ ExploringLifeAndThings recently posted…You were great, April
My parents did an 8k earlier this year. It is an odd distance to race, but still doable!
What a perfect weekend! Congratulations on a great race even if it was just for fun :)
Diana @ Live Lean Eat Green recently posted…The Ups And Downs Of Marathon Training + Weekly Workouts
Thanks, Diana! It was a great morning and weekend :)
You guys are the cutest, your mom has the best fashion sense, I love the activities she chose, and 10Ks are the WORST. I think that about covers it ;)
Sarah @pickyrunner recently posted…Thinking Out Loud
She says thank you :) I think the last time I went kayaking was with you actually!
My mom is just like yours. Mother’s Day is a week and her birthday is a month. Gotta love her self-confidence in celebrating herself. ;) I’ve never done a race at all, but the more I follow your blog/life, the more I want to give one a shot!
Julia @ Drops of Jules recently posted…Happy Mother’s Day Letter – Thank You For My Life
If you ever need some more encouragement, you know who to go to :) Pressure-free races are so fun for me!
You’re so lucky you had great weather for the race and Mother’s Day… here in southern CA it was gloomy/rainy and ruined any outdoor plans we had!
Kristina @ Ms.Modify recently posted…Weekend Recap!
We did get really lucky! It wasn’t unbearably hot either, which is the norm.
I love St. Pete, doing a race through downtown or down Beach Drive would be so pretty! Glad you had a great weekend!
sarah recently posted…MIMM: Mother’s Day Weekend
I need to go down there more often! Just love that waterfront area.
What a fun weekend! I agree that 10ks are probably the most challenging distance race. It’s like the long distance equivalent of the 800! Whenever I do them as training runs I always forget about that last .2 when I hit 6 and then I cringe a bit.
Caroline recently posted…How to Stay Sane During Exams (or Insanely Busy Times)
Yes! You’re so right. 800s are TOUGH.
Awesome time at your race! I’ve only run a couple 10Ks – I think they are hard to stumble across, you really have to seek out races at that distance. I always struggle once I hit mile 4 at that distance, I know I should start pushing, but there’s so much of the race left!
Rebecca @ Vitamin OH! recently posted…Pine Lane Trailhead (Buckeye Trail)
I agree! 5ks and halfs are much more common.
It sounds like you had an awesome weekend! I am jealous of your gorgeous weather! It is getting collldddddd in Australia and i’m trying to convince Jesse to let us move to the northern hemisphere for half the year, hahaha!
Kristy @ Southern In Law recently posted…Recipe: Healthy Millet Egg Bakes
Looks like a lovely weekend, and congrats on winning – that’s a wonderful time! So jealous of your weather too…
Alyssa @ renaissancerunnergirl recently posted…Taking a Vacation