Spinx Run Fest 10K – Greenville, SC
Finish Time: 52:42 (8:29/mi) — New PR ✅
They say training is everything, but I’m learning that the real foundation of endurance starts with a calm mind.
To be completely honest, I didn’t have the most consistent training block leading up to this race. I don’t think I had one week where I hit my mileage goal. And I definitely slacked in the interval training/speed-work sessions.
But during the final week leading up to race day, I shifted my focus inward. I meditated every evening, practicing mindfulness and breathwork. That mental reset changed everything about how I showed up on race morning.
The practice of mindfulness is not new to me. I’ve meditated consistently for the past year using the guided meditation programming offered by Apple Fitness+. But then I saw an Ad on my IG feed for the Waking Up app, which intrigued me. Like Apple Fitness, it has guided meditation sessions, but Waking Up goes deeper, teaching you how to actually understand your mind, not just quiet it. It’s less about relaxation and more about transformation–the kind that can only come from equanimity.
When the mind is calm, endurance becomes effortless.
Crossing the start line, I found rhythm early. My breathing felt smooth. Around mile four, a side stitch tried to throw me off, but instead of fighting it, I went back to focusing on my breath. By mile 5, it had passed. Most surprisingly, my splits were as consistent as they ever have been. In my past longer runs, I would limit my warm-up to a quick half mile and light stretching immediately before the race, and I had to “ease in” to the first few miles. But this time, I ran a full 1-mile warm-up about 30 minutes before the start, which I think helped tremendously and made all the difference in my consistency.
For once, I wasn’t chasing the PR. I knew it was coming.
At the last water station, I even took a few seconds to hydrate without that nagging voice in the back of my head shouting, “You’re losing time.” That’s when it hit me: calm confidence is faster than frantic effort.
The final stretch into the stadium felt surreal. The red dirt of the warning track under my shoes—it’s one of the best finish line experiences you can get. And seeing my biggest fan cheering as I entered the stadium? That sealed it.
52:42. A 10K PR. Not because I pushed harder, but because I stayed grounded through every mile.
This race reminded me that consistency follows clarity. When the mind is steady, the body knows what to do.
See you next year, Spinx. 🤙
The Real Race Starts Within 🧘
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