Tanya's First 10k race

When people meet Ben and I and look at us they know we are active, which is great because we are! Then they start talking to us and they learn that Ben is an endurance athlete; runner and ironman. Then they look at me and ask if I run. I always laugh and say "no no, I was a gymnast and have some sort of hip injury I can't really work out, it hurts to walk"

Well the old hip is feeling pretty good. Over the summer I started running a little bit, then when I got back here I continued to run. A friend I do yoga with and who works at Ben's school, Jess, said that she was going to do a 10k race in November. We started running with each other in the mornings. It was really nice to have someone to run with. We don't really run fast, because we are talking so much, but we get up at 5 am and we do it.

So yesterday was the day, the 10k run. It wasn't till 6 pm which I didn't love but it was a bit cooler because it was in the evening. There was about 800 other people who were running so it was tight at the beginning. The race took place at the formal one race track in Abu Dhabi. It was pretty neat being able to run on this track where cars were driving at 100+ mph just last week.

Now Jess and I usually run together, but I know she can run faster then me, she took off in front of me almost right away. I didn't want to push it so I just let her go. The first 5k I took it easy so that I wouldn't die at the last 5k (I had only run 5 miles two times, a 10k is 6 miles). I started to pick it up a little more in the second half and by the 7k marker I really tried to pick it up. I was feeling pretty good until the last kilometer, when my hip was aching a little bit. But when I saw the finish line I just went. I wanted to be under an hour and I needed to move it to do that.

My time was: 59:33. Nothing spectacular by any means but I was happy. I ran the whole time and was under an hour. Ben said my second 5k was about 3-4 mins faster then my first 5k so thats good.

I would love to put some pictures up but...My wonderful husband forgot the camera! He says that he forgot because he has never been a spectator in these sort of things, he is the one usually running!

Jess is doing a half marathon in February. I am thinking about doing it with her. I really enjoy the training and miss competitions. But I need to think about it a little more thats a long race!