Done. Check. Over. Ouch!

Well, I finished.  (Patting myself on the back)

My overwhelming feeling is excitement.  My 10k was better than I thought it would be (1:04), and for the most part I felt fantastic those first few miles.  After the half-way mark my feet began to burn and ache.  Yes, I broke the cardinal rule of running:  Don't wear new shoes on race day.  I had to stop, take off my shoes, massage the bottoms of my feet, and then start again.  It felt like there were rocks in the bottom of my shoes, and  few times I couldn't even walk because my feet would spasm.  Big, big bummer.  I was keeping up with the 2:10 minute pace group in the beginning, and as each pace group passed me by I would get more discouraged.  I finally finished at 2:26, but having walked much of the last 5 miles. 

All in all, I keep remembering how good it felt to run the first 10k!  It was sooo fun!  I haven't felt that great running in YEARS, and it gives me hope that I might actually enjoy running again someday.  I'm looking for another half marathon in the fall, because I would like to try again, with broken in shoes, and hopefully finish more quickly than 2:26.