Running a 10K: 25 Things Check-In

Many moons ago, I checked off another item from my 25 Things List: running a 10K.

About a year beforehand, I ran a 5K as a little pregame to the 10K, and definitely was not motivated in any way, shape, or form to prepare for it. And I definitely noticed that I was not prepared while I ran it! After the race, I felt no desire to run a 10K. I’d felt like I’d be perfectly happy checking it off my list as a 5K, and moving on with my life. However, my friend Kate told me that I was not allowed to do that. So a few months later, I signed myself up for a 10K that took place the weekend after I was set to return from Nepal, assuming that I would be in peak condition after training for Everest, and actually completing the trek.

As we all know, that trip fell apart, but I’d still been prepping for months for the trek and was ready to go for the 10K. I was also still crushed from the cancellation of my trek, and was really looking forward to getting to check something else off my 25 Things List.

So, I headed to Faribault for the Maple Syrup Fun Run 10K.

When I arrived for check-in, they gave me a little swag bag and my number, which happened to be 250, which seemed pretty in-line with the whole 25 Things List.

Their swag bag had a lot of info from the sponsors of the race, as well as a cute little wooden souvenir.

It was a very Midwestern swag bag.

I thought the wooden souvenir was pretty cute.

They also gave me this super adorable t-shirt, which has the cutest athletic leaves.

They’re wearing sweatbands.

I had chosen this 10K for two reasons: 1) The route goes through a forest of maple trees, which is right up my alley, and 2) Afterward, you get a plate of pancakes with their local maple syrup, which is also right up my alley.

The route itself was really beautiful, and I snapped some photos while I was running.

It started off a little tough – I didn’t consider the fact that the trail could be hilly, and right out of the gate there were some pretty steep hills we had to run up. By the end of the race, my watch told me that I had run up 70 flights of stairs, so that seemed like a lot.

It had also been raining all week, so the hills were pretty slick with mud. There was one that I decided to bite the bullet and just walk up, which I was glad that I did, because a guy next to me slipped and fell into the mud, which I truly did not want to do.

In addition to the hills, there were some spots that were fostering mini rivers.

It was fun to jump and run around them, to be honest.

One other odd part of the race was that it straight up ran past (and kind of through) prison grounds!

At first I ran past this set of buildings surrounded by barbed wire, and then I passed a sign telling me that I was entering its property. I hesitated there a little, but the 10K route signs told me to continue forward, so I did.

But other than that, it was a beautiful route. It was crazy to feel the difference between running the 5K and 10K – despite the fact that it was longer, and through muddy, steep hills, I felt like the 10K was way easier. Probably because I actually prepared for it. *Shrugs.*

My time was mediocre – 1:12:12. But I kind of liked it, because January 12th is my birthday, and I like the coincidental symbolism of that. I was also just happy that it had felt easier than my last race, that I’d beaten my previous time during a practice round I’d done the week before, and that I’d actually checked it off my list.

Plus, there were pancakes.

You cannot go wrong with that. They were so delicious after an hour-long run. It was also really cool to see the camaraderie between people after the race. People were super nice as we were standing in line, telling me I did a great job and giving runners high fives and thumbs ups. It made it even more fun!

I was glad that I decided to sign up for that race, and even happier to check it off my list. Next, I’d continue tackling my State Park list, and head to Duluth for a few more outdoor adventures.