July 22: My First Race Ever

Today was the Ele's Place 5K Run/Walk Fundraiser. (www.elesplace.org) Ele's Place is one of my favorite non-profit organizations, as it hits close to the heart. Their mission is to help grieving children cope with loved ones who have a terminal illness and/or have died. Having lost my one and only brother when I was a teenager, I can certainly understand the need that these children have as they struggle through such transitions.

I've never participated in any type of race before, other than when I used to ski competitively. Surely a run race would be much different, though I really didn't know what to expect other than the fact that I'm sure a lot of people would pass me by.I knew in advance that I may be tired for this, my first 5K ever, particularly because I completed the practice triathlon the day before. But I committed to this race a couple of months ago, so I was determined to finish.

I arrived in Okemos about 45 minutes before the start, and was amazed that I had to follow a processional line of cars into the already overflowing parking lot. Little did I know that I would soon be joining a record-breaking 1300 other registrants for this run.

The weather this Sunday morning was perfect. Mid 70s in temperature, and not a cloud in the sky. The atmosphere was filled with energy and anticipation, especially as I observed the clearly seasoned runners. I didn't think that some people could be so serious about running a 5K, but that obviously wasn't the case.

I was happy to run into a few friends before the race, Scott, Amelia and Noon. Scott has raced numerous times in the past, and offered up valuable advice to not go too fast when I start out (since it was apparently easy to do as one can get caught up in the excitement).

We were all instructed to get ready to start, with the faster runners to lead and the slower runners to bring up the rear. For some reason, I thought that putting myself back about 70 people would be sufficient, especially since I knew that many of these people would walk through the race.

After listening to some songs that a DJ had thought would be motivational (I Will Survive, for example), we then listened to the National Anthem. After being lead by a group of various athletes by doing some jumping jacks, we were off (and quite unexpectedly, I must admit). Immediately, runners were passing me right and left. And I was passing...well, no one. At least early on.

Scott had disappeared before the shotgun, and Amelia and Noon went on ahead of me to the point that I couldn't see them anymore...so even though I was surrounded by 1300 people, all of the sudden, I was on my own. That's the thing with running, it really can be a sport of solitude. Some people like it that way. It gives them time to reflect on their day, on their problems, on their successes. Other people don't like the solitude, so they run with a companion, be it a friend or some music on their iPod.

I took the opportunity to simply people-watch as I ran along. So many different people, and all of various ages. One lady, who was all decked out with her Michigan State outfit, had a personalized shirt that said MSU Maggie. She definitely had done this before, I thought. (It turns out later that she was a top finisher in her age group of 65-69 years old...rock on, Maggie.) Another lady reminded me of my mom's best friend Susan, and my mind then drifted onto that relationship for a while.

The first mile-marker came up before I knew it, and we were welcomed by a rock band. I kept moving as I concentrated on breathing technique so I could preserve energy. My first mile time according to the clock was 10:21. Could that be right? I have only broken an 11-minute mile once. I didn't think too much about it, and just moved on.

Soon after, I was passed by someone that I never expected to see at this race...a blind man. I never would have noticed except for the sign on his back, "Blind Runner". Many people knew him as they'd pass him cheering him on and yelling "great job, Mans!". He replied with a consistant response to everyone; "Thanks, have a good race!". He had a guide with him, who kept a good grip on his left wrist as he held onto an eight inch leash that tethered him to her hand. He too, had apparently done this many times. Regardless of his experience, it was inspirational for me. If he can do this, I can do this too. I kept moving.

We were greeted at the half way point by volunteers who were serving up nice cold water. I'm used to drinking from a sports bottle with a nozzle on it, so drinking from a cup proved to be quite unsuccessful for me. I spilled more than I got in my mouth, and decided at it may be best just to pour the rest on me, which I did. The half way point was the turnaround, and we all made a 180 and headed back the other way with our face against the hot sun. I looked forward to the next water set-up where I could pour a whole glass of water on my body.

Mile Two seemed to take a bit longer to get to, though the clock now showed my time being 20:05. Strange...is it possible to "draft" when running? That was my only explaination, for this was much faster than I could ever run. Soon after mile two, I saw Scott, who was quite a bit behind me and still headed for the turnaround. (It turns out that he, too, was not expecting the shotgun to start when it did, and was in line for the bathroom when the race started.)

Mile Three brought us back by the band again. Looking back, I don't recall a single song that they played, but I do remember that they were good. I found it unusual for a band set up in the middle of what is normally a busy road, but I guess that isn't too uncommon.

With about a three quarters of a mile to go, I caught up to Amelia, who had just slowed down to a walking pace. I came up behind her, and encouraged her to keep up her run pace up, knowing that she could do this. She started back up, and we began our run to the finish line together. I told her that we both could do this, and I'd finish with her.

Right about that time, Scott passed us. Scott is a great guy. He exudes confidence, has a great personality, and is just a wonderful and kind person. So seeing him pass made me proud of him; he was obviously running at a good pace. I couldn't help but notice his running shorts, which were perhaps one of the most unique shorts at the event. They were bumble-bee yellow and black plaid...only a certain type of person can pull that off, and Scott was able to do it with charm. He definitely got my vote for most stylish runner of the day.

Amelia and I really tried to run hard during that last quarter mile, and our conversation was reduced to a minimum as our panting took over. But we pushed hard and we didn't stop. We ended up crossing the finish line together, and in fact only finished one second apart from each other. That was awesome to me to cross with a friend, especially for my first race. I'll never forget it.

When we got our breath back and got some water and food on our body, we started looking for Noon and Scott. I ran into another friend of mine, Sam. It was also nice to see him, especially since I was hoping to run into him being that he was a local.

I finished up the day with a complimentary body massage, which was a very welcome experience indeed. I couldn't imagine how sore I would have been the next day without it. The girl worked me hard, digging her elbow into my back and legs, commenting on how tight I was. I certainly felt less tight once the massage was over. Great stuff.

So in the end, how did I fair up? Well, first of all, I finished. And after my activities the day before, I was happy with that. According to my chip time (an RFID device that is fairly common in races nowadays), I ran 3.16 miles in 30:44. WOW, I broke a 10 minute mile, something that I never thought I could do. Adrenaline is good for something!

I ended up coming in 8th (out of 16) for 38-year-old females, 34th in my age group (35-39 year old females), 246th out of 616 females, and 611th overall. I am REALLY happy with these results, though I have a feeling that I'm going to pay for it tomorrow. My left shin is really bothering me, and it is yelling at me to rest. But despite the pain, I have a wonderful sense of accomplishment knowing that I can now say that I have completed an actual race.