I had my first DNF (did not finish) at the IOP Connector Run 10K back in July. Looking back, I really shouldn't have even attempted this race. I didn't want to run it and I was just there because I had registered for it. I was mentally burned out from summer heat, and I wasn't feeling physically great (a little bit of a cold plus lack of sleep from a baby who was up in the middle of the night). I was also coming off of the mild quad strain and two weeks of hardly any running. All around, not a great scenario. At the very least, I should have just dropped back and run the 5K and I think I would have been fine. 

There's really not a whole lot to say about this one. I felt a slight tweak in my quad in the first mile, so I slowed down, but by mile 3, I was just done. It was so hot and there was no water support anywhere to be seen. The first water stop I saw for the 10Kers was at mile 4.5 or maybe it was even closer to mile 5. That was rough. A beach run during the summer in Charleston needs water stops at every other mile. Since this was an out and back course, that wouldn't have been such a tall order. 

At mile 4, I just decided to stop and do a few yoga stretches, then I beachcombed for a few shells and walked a bit. I ran all of mile 5, and then saw my husband with the stroller and we walked the rest of the way to the finish. So technically I did finish, I just didn't go through the finish line so there's no official record. I turned off my watch around mile 5.5, but my time when we got to the finish line was right around an hour. Definitely not something I want an official record of, especially with all of the lollygagging I did mid-race.  

But if nothing else, I got to hang out at the beach for a little bit with the family and I got a few cool pictures. 

I doubt I'll be back to run that 10K again. Maybe I'll do the 5K since it seems that race is more tailored to the 5Kers and just call it a day. So there's that. Onward to fall.