S May 6, 2006

So I have a little surprise for my trainer. I didn't run on Thursday because I was on the phone until 8:00 pm and after the last after-dark run I don't like to go out late. I ran on Friday, just under 5 miles. As you may know, Fridays are my traditional dining and drinking days, not so much with the running. But I was able to squeeze in a few miles in preparation for today. Today I ran my first race. I found a race on the internet, registered, found the registration table, pinned my number on, followed the crowd to the starting line and ran a 10k. Is it a personal best if it is my first 10k? My unofficial time was 1:05.49. You can go to www.athleteschoice.info to find my official information. You would have loved it. I was thinking like an actual runner. (I was going to say "acting" like an actual runner but as they don't stay out drinking beer until 1:00am the night before the run...) I had a running plan: 1) start out slow - as slow as you can possibly go and still be moving forward, 2) speed up. This running plan may seem fairly sophisticated given my beginner status, but I had it well thought out. However, I had an immediate problem invoking the plan. It is impossible to run slowly in a pack of runners. I even started in the back. I knew I was going to end up in the back and being the overacheiver, the sooner I got there, the better. My first mile was 10:20. I knew that was too fast for me but now I was alone with two other women and I figured I would just try to keep up with them. Mile 2 was 11:13 that was a bit too slow, and I was warmed up so I could go a little faster but was hesitant to run too fast because the terrain was unfamiliar to me and I knew we would hit some hills. Mile 3 10:59 Better. Mile 4 10: 26. This is where we hit the hills and where I started to pass people. I actually passed people. "People" means more than one person. Mile 5 10:48; Mile 6 10:01 This is where Andrea was waiting with friends to cheer me on. Finish about 2:08 but I forgot to turn off my watch until I was at the end of the chute. Just before the finish I was overtaken by a guy that I had passed previously. After the race I talked with a woman who used me as someone to keep up with. That was interesting.
Here is what I learned from my first solo race experience:
*Center your number as you pin it on.
*When they say no headsets that might not include earphones.
*Don't go out drinking into the wee hours of the morning the night before.
*Drink water.
*Use the porta-poties 11 minutes prior to the start because at exactly 10 minutes before race time everyone else will line up for them.
*Start slower, finish faster. start your finish with two miles left to go.
*After the race, write your times on your number to remember what they were.
*Bring a change of clothes if you are going to a craft fair afterwards.
I really just thought of this as one of my regular runs. I didn't try to go any faster than normal. It was just interesting to run with others and have diffent scenery.
My big concern now is when to fit in my long run. I don't want to do it tomorrow because that would be three running days in a row. Maybe Monday because I work at home.