I finally can cross running in a prepared race off my list of life's accomplishments.
I ran in my first 5k this morning. I wasn't sure what to expect. For those that know me well, I'm not much of a runner or really an athlete. Sure, I play ice hockey and have played sports like soccer, basketball, and baseball. None of those were at any sort of elite level.
After a pretty good rain last night, I expected the racing surface to be wet and sloppy. It was a trail run, not on a track or all pavement.
I decided to be timed, only for my own benefit. There was really no chance I was going to win my age category, but I wanted to see how I did without having to think about it. Due to some unexpected circumstances, I arrived at the starting line 10 minutes prior to start. I had no time to stretch, warm up, or anything.
The race started promptly at 9:05 AM. I began around mid pack, letting the sure runners take the lead and go forward. The trail was still fairly wet from the rain, so we had to be careful in spots. I had decided I was going to be part of the "run/walk team" as I am in no shape to run a complete 5k.
Around the 3k mark, my legs started to get really heavy. I had played ice hockey the previous two nights. Not a very good combination. I had to slow down and do my best to ignore the now growing pain in my calves and my left foot.
At the 4k mark, it was pretty obvious I was running on fumes. My body was just not having it. I could see several runners way ahead of me, and I was basically by myself, with the next person about 30-45 seconds behind me. But I could start to see the home stretch, so I forced myself to keep going. The last 200-300 yards were on pavement. As soon as I hit pavement, I started to pick up my pace, and had a friend who had already finished running along me as I rounded the last turn and started to sprint as fast as I could.
I hit the finish line with a huge sigh of relief. I realized my electronic timer was not on my foot, so there wasn't really a way to score me electronically. Luckily the race timer heard that I didn't have it on, so he recorded my time manually.
My best time at the gym was around 43 minutes. I was expecting a 46-48 minute finish due to the amount of walking I had been doing. To my surprise, as I crossed the line, I turned around and looked at the clock. It read 40 minutes, 30 seconds. I couldn't believe it. I had finished the 5k in 40 minutes, 27 seconds according to my own observation. The official time I was given was 40:36. Either way, I was very surprised and happy with my time.
I placed 7th out of 8th in my age group, but I didn't really care. My goal was to finish the race, which I did. I finished 44th overall.
I don't have the running bug just yet, but that was a lot of fun. I'm glad I ran. It was for a good cause, and I got good exercise out of it. The pain, the exhaustion, are only temporary. The feeling I got when I crossed that finish line was worth it.
I ran in my first 5k this morning. I wasn't sure what to expect. For those that know me well, I'm not much of a runner or really an athlete. Sure, I play ice hockey and have played sports like soccer, basketball, and baseball. None of those were at any sort of elite level.
After a pretty good rain last night, I expected the racing surface to be wet and sloppy. It was a trail run, not on a track or all pavement.
I decided to be timed, only for my own benefit. There was really no chance I was going to win my age category, but I wanted to see how I did without having to think about it. Due to some unexpected circumstances, I arrived at the starting line 10 minutes prior to start. I had no time to stretch, warm up, or anything.
The race started promptly at 9:05 AM. I began around mid pack, letting the sure runners take the lead and go forward. The trail was still fairly wet from the rain, so we had to be careful in spots. I had decided I was going to be part of the "run/walk team" as I am in no shape to run a complete 5k.
Around the 3k mark, my legs started to get really heavy. I had played ice hockey the previous two nights. Not a very good combination. I had to slow down and do my best to ignore the now growing pain in my calves and my left foot.
At the 4k mark, it was pretty obvious I was running on fumes. My body was just not having it. I could see several runners way ahead of me, and I was basically by myself, with the next person about 30-45 seconds behind me. But I could start to see the home stretch, so I forced myself to keep going. The last 200-300 yards were on pavement. As soon as I hit pavement, I started to pick up my pace, and had a friend who had already finished running along me as I rounded the last turn and started to sprint as fast as I could.
I hit the finish line with a huge sigh of relief. I realized my electronic timer was not on my foot, so there wasn't really a way to score me electronically. Luckily the race timer heard that I didn't have it on, so he recorded my time manually.
My best time at the gym was around 43 minutes. I was expecting a 46-48 minute finish due to the amount of walking I had been doing. To my surprise, as I crossed the line, I turned around and looked at the clock. It read 40 minutes, 30 seconds. I couldn't believe it. I had finished the 5k in 40 minutes, 27 seconds according to my own observation. The official time I was given was 40:36. Either way, I was very surprised and happy with my time.
I placed 7th out of 8th in my age group, but I didn't really care. My goal was to finish the race, which I did. I finished 44th overall.
I don't have the running bug just yet, but that was a lot of fun. I'm glad I ran. It was for a good cause, and I got good exercise out of it. The pain, the exhaustion, are only temporary. The feeling I got when I crossed that finish line was worth it.
No comments:
Post a Comment