Ed Root Memorial 10K Race Recap

This past Saturday, I ran the Ed Root Memorial 10K in New Smyrna Beach.  Two years ago, this race was my very first 10K.  I also ran last year's race and placed in my age group!  Both of the previous years were great experiences, so I looked forward to running this race again this year.

I was able to pick up my packet on Thursday, so on race morning, I arrived with about 10 minutes to spare before the start.  The race started right on time, which was very nice!

Knowing the course well, I felt very prepared for this to be a good race.  As I've been doing lately, I started by running until slightly fatigued, then beginning my 3:1 run/walk intervals.  I made it for about 5 minutes at the beginning before starting my intervals.

Before I even reached the first mile, I felt myself mentally struggling.  I don't know what it was, but I wasn't feeling 100% in to running that morning.  Then, my left foot started to get tingly and go numb right around the first mile marker.

I seriously contemplated dropping down to the 5K race right up until the turnaround point.  I reminded myself that my favorite part of the race was still to come, and if I dropped down to the 5K distance, I'd miss it.  So, I kept on going.  I stopped to loosen up my left shoe to attempt to get some feeling back in my foot.

Well, it felt a little better for a few minutes, then went right back to feeling numb.  Right before we got on the boardwalk at Smyrna Dunes Park, I readjusted my shoe and decided to walk through one round of my interval timer to try and get the foot to get feeling back.  It was nice to walk through this lovely part of the course.

It worked for a little bit, then my foot started going numb again.  I readjusted my shoe again at mile 3.5 and from there, I decided to drop down to 2:1 run/walk intervals.  Luckily, this adjustment helped and my foot felt a lot better for the rest of the race.

I'm really glad I kept going past the 5K turn around, because I would not have gotten to see the lighthouse if I didn't.

I love this part of the race, even though it was a foggy morning!

Once we got off the boardwalk, I knew there were 2 miles left.  I picked up my pace just a little bit during my running intervals and was able to finish strong.

I really wanted to finish this race with an 11:00 min/mile pace, but after my foot problems, I aimed for under a 12:00 min/mile pace.  Official time: 1:14:15 (11:57 pace) Mission accomplished!

Other fun thing about this race: I wore my Minnie Mouse runDisney shoes!

After reflecting on the race, I think these shoes may have been the reason I was having such foot problems.  They are not as stable of a running shoe as I am used to, so that could have been the problem.  Another reason could be that I'm at that stage of pregnancy where swelling of the ankles occurs...who knows!  I think I'm going to use these shoes for walks around the neighborhood or shorter runs.  I looked cute while wearing them, though :)

Overall, another very fun Ed Root 10K!  Despite my foot problems and struggling mentally, I still enjoyed this race.

Question for you: Have you ever had foot numbness while running?  If so, what can I do to fix it?