Mentally preparing for my 10K run tomorrow...

Hi K-friends,
I'm running a 10K tomorrow. It will be at Point Defiance Park in Tacoma, WA. In addition to raising money for a good cause (www.4US.org), I will attempt to beat my race time from the Nike 10K Human Race...1 hour, 9 minutes. I know I can complete the run but I'm nervous I won't beat my previous time. Heck, I'm just nervous because I still find it challening to run 6.25 miles consecutively. What if I pass out on the course?
So, in order to boost my confidence and calm my nerves - I've been walking my brain down "Long Distance Training Memory Lane."
Before I started Kinetix, I remembering talking with Coach Gerry and lamenting that my bunion and other bodily ailments kept me from running. I used to walk briskly...averaging about 2 miles per work out (and that was about 1x per week.) That would take me about 30 minutes. Oy!
During this past summer, I began trying to improve my cardio and decided to start running. At first I would mix running and walking. Then I tried running but could only keep up a running pace and form for about 1.5 miles...then I would walk the rest of the way. From there, I was able to run 2 consecutive miles. Toward the end of August, I was running 3 miles...at a slow pace (45 minutes.) That's why I figured that I would run the Nike 10K Human Race in 1 hour, 30 minutes.
So imagine my surprise that I actually ran 6.25 consecutive miles and didn't pass out!

The Nike 10K was my first long distance run since I was in high school on the Cross Country team. I was nervous that I wouldn't complete the run. I surprised myself by not only finishing it but running it in less than 1 hour, 30 minutes. It was a beautiful day and I was on an emotional high because I actually got out on the road and made it happen.

So - here I am, less than 24 hours away from start time and I'm nervous. I'm not nervous about the other runners...I am not competing with them. I'm nervous because I now have a baseline for how fast I can go and I don't want to let myself down.
My goal is to run the course in 1 hour. That means shaving more than a minute off of every mile. That would be a big accomplishment for me. I'm nervous - but I am going to do it and I'm going to finish. And am going to try to stay excited because, if nothing else, it's a big improvement in my life from my first conversation with Gerry.

I will share the results next week.
Until then, keep on being Kinetical and living life well!