Lynchburg 10 Miler

Yesterday I ran the Lynchburg 10 miler which is a very historic race (37 years). I have the privilege of writing that I won the race. So awesome! I join the list that has Joanie and Greta on it as well as Catherine the Great. The race was awesome. It starts on a downhill slope so for the 1st mile you are flying. Then starts the pain. The hills of Lynchburg are hard. No lie. I was breathing hard by mile 2 and having a few doubts about my sanity. Around mile 4 a guy comes up and passes me. Every time we went down hill he would pass me and then we would go up a hill and I'd pass him back. He had me worried for a bit b/c I couldn't figure out if he knew something I didn't. After a pretty ugly hill that topped out at mile 5 he went away so then I was just back to cruising. The cool thing about this race was the support. Lots of people along the side of the road yelling and it is an out and back course so heading back there were tons of people cheering which was super sweet. Around mile 6 it occurred to me that 1st place girl was pretty close and I could catch up. It's amazing how your mind becomes totally focused and it's all so clear (b/c the only thing that matters is that one person). This was another race that where I don't remember ever feeling pain. I was just so focused. We took a left corner that would take us back to the finish line and this is where I passed her. The crowd actually went crazy which was pretty cool. So for the next couple of miles all I could think about was running hard. The last mile was pretty crazy. It really is a long hard mile up a pretty steep hill.
This race is one of these days that just makes it all worth while. The pain and the work. All the long hours of running, planning, lifting weights, and just all of it. It's just all worth it.