Midway 10k!

I am not spontaneous. My life is a series of well thought out decisions and choices. Enormous consideration goes into every item in my life from what I eat to which color of highlighter I use. Thursday night I was itching for something different, a spontaneous act. Suddenly I was looking at two different websites, the Midway Swiss Days 10k registration page and the webpage for Skydive Utah. The 10k was a measly twenty dollars, while skydiving ranged from $170-185 for a single flight. Due to cost reasons, the 10k became my impromptu event. At midnight, my roommate and I found ourselves signed up and mentally preparing. I was feeling a mixture of anxiety and excitement. Throwing off my "normal" Saturday plans with a random race was messing with my head. At this point in the story I feel like I need to set one thing straight. I knew I could finish the race. I ran my first half marathon two weeks ago, so completing was not an issue. It was the early wake up, hour drive, long run, and wasted time that were making me nervous. I knew if I ran I would have to start my homework later, clean the apartment later, and be tired from an exhausting 6.1 mile run. My OCD self was in override by this startling change in plans. Needless to say I ran the race. My roommate and I stuck together and I ended up getting a new personal record, an 8:44 average mile. My worries rushed away as I was finished the race with the sun rising over the mountains. Running through an astonishing mountain valley as the day began was the best start to my weekend. Being spontaneous and random can take an exhilarating turn in life. Running is a release in my life and I need to take time to race more often. Even though I was nervous, getting out of my comfort zone and leaving my normal plan behind was refreshing. I am more than relieved that I learned this lesson without having to jump out of a plane!