James Joyce Ramble

The Ramble was fantastic! Claudia, Cate and I met up on Sunday morning at the Endicott Estate in Dedham. While it was slightly chilly when we got there, by the time the race started, it was perfect running conditions. We all were very pleased with our runs and we enjoyed catching up afterward over lunch. I'm already looking forward to our next race! I'll share some more pictures when I have them. In the meantime, I wanted to share my pre-race goals and how I made out.

On Saturday, the day before the race, I wrote down a few goals. I read somewhere that one is more effective in meeting goals if they are written down. So I did.

First, finish. Yes sirree! (I think I'll do a separate post about race management).

Second, not last. This might look and sound like a crazy goal, but the Ramble attracts a field of fast runners. Prior to running this race, I had only run one other 10K and it was on a totally flat course. The Ramble's course was, well, rambling and had three good-sized hills. So, this goal, not to finish last, was not crazy. As it turns out, I finished ahead of 54 other runners, but more on that below.

Third, enjoy the experience. I really, really did. As I was running, I realized that I had a silly, probably sh*t-eating grin on my face. I felt so darn happy to be participating. I gave thumbs-up to the James Joyce readers, I jumped in sprinklers and I smiled wide for the photographers. Enjoy it I did.

Finally, I made a stretch goal for time. I ran my first 10K in 1 hour and 26.34 minutes (unofficially - the race wasn't timed, but I timed it on my watch). Given that this course was much hillier, my thought was that it would be a win to finish in the same time. What I did not figure in is that I trained very consistently during the month of April. As as result, I finished EIGHT MINUTES better than my prior 10K -- time of 1:18.33.

I'll be writing down my goals for my next race!

Comments

[Carole]

Woot woot! Go you!!

[Manise]

That is fantastic Kathy! Keep up the great work!