Tufts Health Plan 10k for Women

On Monday I ran my third Tufts Health Plan 10k for Women. I’ve run a handful of races before, ranging from 10k to half marathon, but this one stands out as my all time favorite, and is one I look forward to. Just two years ago, I was not a runner. I wasn’t even close to a runner. I was a gym-rat, a yogi, and a pronounced running-hater. But I wanted to see if I could make myself become a runner-lover, so a few summers ago, I hit the pavement.

I did run track in high school (sprint distance to get it over with faster), more to hang out with my friends after school and stay in shape between fall and spring sports than anything. But I wanted to be able to run distances and “get in the zone” like other runner-lovers.

After a few months of training and when I finally felt I had enough miles under my belt, I signed up for the Tufts 10k in 2007. In all honesty I was drawn to this race because it’s start and finish line was just feet away from my then-apartment in Beacon Hill.

When I stood at the start line of my very first race, the announcer had all the first timers cheer. And oh I cheered. And then she talked about how running is the most inclusive sport in the world and she was right. If you have legs and your health, you can run. You don’t need fancy equipment or a membership to go outside and run. You can do it. I got chills, and I got pumped up. And I ran my heart out and was hooked. I crossed the finish that year in exactly 54 minutes at an 8:42 pace and was thrilled.

That race was the first official race I had ever signed up for and it won’t be my last. Because of the positive experience I had with that race, I’ve signed up for others. The fact that it’s an all female race is so inspiring too. There are 7,000+ women of ALL ages running, walking, pushing strollers, and cheering each other on. Running through some of my favorite spots of Boston (Beacon Hill, along the Charles river, and through the common) certainly helps too. And the fact that I’m now a contracting dietitian for Tufts Health Plan, the sponsor of the race, brings it a bit closer to home, er, work.This year I met up with some dietitians-to-be from Tufts University before the race, including Lindsey from Healthy Blog Snack. We snapped some pictures and stretched a bit before hand, and then met up at the finish line after everyone’s very successful race (must be something in the Tufts blood – congrats ladies!). My goal was to finish faster than last year’s 49:10 time and with my Nike+ iPod keeping me on track the whole run, I knew I could do it. I crossed the finish line with my personal best 10k time of 48:16 at a 7:47 mile pace. My best ever and nearly a minute faster per mile than my first race. As Funk would say: That’s how winning is done!

The 2007 version of me never would have predicted that the 2009 version of me would be running sub-8 minute miles. But its not the time I got or the pace I kept, its the fact that I stuck with my goal and think at this point I can say to myself, I’m a runner.