My First Race

I ran my first race last weekend at the Wounded Warrior Run in downtown Kennesaw. I know, I know....it was only a measly 5k but it was an experience for me! I had never run an "organized" race (well not since CC in high school) and it was overwhelming! I am so glad I did it though. It really gave me an idea of what to expect when it comes to races. Now I did kind of go into the race with the mindset of trying to run a bit faster than I normally do on just a regular run but I didn't want to push myself too much by setting any personal goals or times to go by. Getting a "race" feel was good enough for me.

Andrea, Whitney, and I - Fresh & Shiny before our run.

I met up with my friends Andrea (whom I would consider a seasoned runner) and Whitney (another baby runner like me). I have run several times with Andrea and I really enjoy running with her because it seems like our pace is about the same and we can carry somewhat of a decent conversation while running and not wear ourselves out. She was going for a PR of under 8 per mile...I told her she on her own on that one. She cooked it too and came third in our group (GO ANDREA)! Can I just say: I am so very happy to have found friends that enjoy running like I do! It makes me extremely happy to have finally found people that "get it." Anyway back to the race, there were SO many people there. I heard somewhere they were expecting around 800 and close to 2,000 showed up. They were super under-prepared and it showed in the fact that the race took 30 minutes extra to even start. It was a mess.

After all the milling around and waiting for the registration to end, it was finally time! The cannon shot off (it is Kennesaw after all) and it was go! I am not going to lie... I had a minor panic attack at the beginning of the race. There were a lot of people in a small space (they funneled us onto half the road to hit the mat) and I didn't know what to expect. My breathing was really off and I couldn't catch my breath. I think it honestly messed up my whole run somewhat. For the rest of the time I was struggling to breathe (a combination of my runner's asthma, panic, and of course running harder than normal) and I had no idea where the course was. Is it stupid that I really like running in places I know cause I can set my pace based on where I am and how far I have to go? I'm weird. I know. Anyway, I pretty much suffered through the entire thing. The whole time I just kept thinking to myself "I don't like this. I don't like this. No...I don't" and wondering when it would be over. When I finally saw the finish line I was so pumped I just picked it up! I had survived my first race. And my time ended up being 26:14, which put me fourth in my group. Not too shabby for a first race!

Dre and I after - YIKES!

Once I got away from the race and got home I found myself thinking back over the morning and how much I didn't like the race...and yet liked it. I keep thinking about what I would have done different and how I can improve. I'm not going to lie...it's addicting. There are so many races in different places that I want to do. Racing seems like a really great hobby/activity to have and plan trips and travel around. Good excuse to go to new places! I still haven't decided if I want to run just to run or actually set goals based on PRs and such. I am not good with stress and I am afraid that by setting goals I will not allow myself to just enjoy the experience of running. I am also afraid of failure and I think by not setting myself up for anything I can avoid it...it's a cop out I know. Joey just likes to say I am the least competitive person he knows. I can deal with that.