Suck It Up Buttercup 10K Recap

On Sunday morning, I ran a 10K in DeLand, FL.  I signed up for this race about a week and half beforehand in an effort to force myself into a long(er) run for ZOOMA Chicago training.  I really enjoyed the Suck It Up Buttercup 10K, but instead of the usual race recap, I'm going to talk about the race through some of the things I learned while running.

• There ARE hills in Florida!  
  
  This race went through the DeLand Country Club area, and the neighborhood featured some pretty steep hills!  I didn't believe the race description since I'd never seen hills in DeLand, but they weren't playing.  They just encouraged us to Suck It Up, Buttercup and finish the race :)
• Running DOWNhill is harder than running uphill.  Putting the brakes on while running downhill started to bother my knee a little bit.  I should have remembered this from the end of the Lighthouse Loop Half Marathon, but it's been a while since I've run downhill.  I definitely had a good cadence running uphill, though.
• I really, really wanted to PR.  My current 10K PR is from my very first race of that distance, so I really wanted to PR.  I was constantly checking my watch and setting distance/time markers in my head (ex. I need to be at 4.2 miles by 44:00 to PR).  The bad thing: I kind of forgot that a 10K was 6.2 miles, and I was calculating for 6.0 miles.
  
• ...BUT I was very happy with my time.  While I didn't reach my goal of a PR, I DID reach my B-goal of finishing in under a 11:00min/mile pace.  Also, just think how much faster I would have been if the course was flat!!  I have hope that the next 10K I run (possibly in August...) will be a PR!
• Donuts after a race are tasty.
  
   Dunkin' Donuts provided donut holes and coffee after the race, and I certainly enjoyed those!!  Joe shared with me that he learned in his nutrition classes that the best time to eat something bad for you is up to an hour after exercising.  As he told me, the body is looking for energy, so it will burn the sugar and fat right away instead of letting it linger.  Good stuff, so you know I enjoyed some chocolate glazed donut holes.  Yummy!
• Sparkle Skirts really are all they are made out to be.
  
   I purchased 3 Sparkle Skirts recently as pieces of costumes to upcoming half marathons.  They are a bit pricey, but after racing in Orbits (the one with the colorful circles), I learned that they are TOTALLY worth it.  The shorts don't move AT ALL, and they also don't rub in all the wrong places.  Plus, the pockets in the shorts are SO HUGE that I don't feel like I need a belt to hold anything for me anymore.  You also can't beat how snazzy you look in them :)
• Good music definitely makes a run even better.  
  
  Anyone remember those iPods with the wheel?  That's what I used on the race on Sunday--tried and true!  I hadn't updated the music on this guy in a while, so I spent the race rocking out to some Fall Out Boy, Paramore, and Panic! at the Disco.  The time flew right by!  These Koss headphones are fantastic, too!
• Starting the day with a 10K does wonders for my FitBit step count! I was already over my goals of 10,000 steps, 5 miles, and 30 active minutes a day before 8 in the morning!  That put me well on my way to get 20,000 steps in on Sunday--a personal best for me since getting my FitBit.
  

There you have it!  Overall, a great race despite the delay at the start.  Final Race Management, the organizer of the race, definitely knows how to create a fun, energetic race atmosphere!

Running through bubbles at the finish--too cool!

I look forward to running with them again for the Lighthouse Loop Half Marathon this October.

Question for you: Do you often run hills?  Any pointers you have would be appreciated :)  Any lessons you've learned from recent races?