My first "real" race

This (quite chilly) morning, I completed my first "real" race.  Like, not a training team run and it had real timing chips and everything.  :)
It couldn't have been a more beautiful morning for a 10K run.  I got to watch the sunrise, see the beautiful colors on the trees, it was just the right temperature to wear tights, my zoot, headband and gloves and start to get a bit warm toward the end.  My goal for the race was to keep my pace under 9:00 miles and I am very proud to say that I made it!  In fact, my average was 8:33!  At first I did my math wrong and thought I had averaged 8:58 and was kind of sad until my husband the engineer did his math right and made me smack my forehead.  How did I graduate from college?  :)
I probably could have pushed it a bit more, but I didn't want to push too hard and end up feeling like crud afterward or feeling like I had to throw up or anything like that.  I think I must have paced it just right because I am totally motivated to go for the half-marathon next year!  Who knows, maybe my hubby would even run WITH me instead of trying to PR it.....yeah right.
Auntie J and Uncle J stayed overnight and got up early with the boys, made them pancakes (!), and strolled them down to the finish line for me.  Seeing my little boy with his stegosaurus hat waving to me at the end was just what I needed and I flew into the finish!  Seriously.  I was down to like 5:00 miles at the very very end (for like 10 seconds).
We went home so I could change and feed Callum then walked down to get a Black Cat coffee and check out the awards back at the finish.  Now we're home again for lunch and a rest and then it's back to the civic center for Everett's race, The Little Engine that Could Toddler Run, at 2.  Phew!  Then I think we'll go OUT to dinner because I don't feel like cooking. :)