My First Race

Today I ran my first race ever. It was a 5k, which is typically considered the shortest race, and a good starting point for me. I was really excited about it, the motivation of watching runners around me giving it their all, the accomplishment you feel when you actually cross a finish line and even the way it was set up felt really official and it made me feel like I was a part of something important.

I got to the race, pinned the number on my shirt and started doing my stretches. It was crazy as a beginning runner to watch other runners get ready around me. This was a real race, these were real runners. As I warmed up I realized I had no idea what I was supposed to do. The thing about running your first race is that its, well, your first race. I never took the time to ask anybody how to warm up for a race. So I jogged around some, I walked around some, did some more stretches, I guessed that was right.

Then the time came. I lined up on the starting line with roughly 600 other runners, the gun was shot and we were off. I'd been told by other runners not to worry about keeping up with the other runners, these guys would be leading the pack and there was no way I could keep up with them. I told these people that it wouldn't be a problem, I know what pace I can run and I'll just keep it up, I didn't care about the other runners.

I was so wrong. No matter how many times you tell yourself to stay at your own pace, if there are awesome runners around you, you're going to try to keep up with them. I don't know why I did it, it just felt like the right thing to do. As I'd been warned, it wasn't. I quickly ran out of steam and had to slow down to a slow jog. I kept running for most of the race. If I told you I ran the whole time and didn't walk at all, it'd be a dirty, dirty lie. I stopped to walk about three times throughout the 3.1 miles.

My final time was 37 minutes and 56 seconds. At first I was upset with myself. I've ran 3.1 miles in less time then that before. How was it that the time I run the worst is in a race?!? I spent maybe five minutes being upset with myself, but then I realized something. I finished my first race. I ran a 5k, sure with a couple hiccups, but it was my first race and I crossed a finish line. I'll even have a picture to back it up pretty soon.

I've won awards and I've gotten promotions, but there's a feeling you get when you cross a finish line that nothing else can replace. Its a sense of accomplishment. Immediate accomplishment. I know that a year ago, there's no way I would have even considered entering a 5k and now I've finished one. I don't know if I'm going to make it to marathon runner by the end of the year, but one thing's for sure, I'm a runner now, and nothing's going to change that.