Agonotheta

My First Race

April 26, 2004

On Saturday, April 24, I ran my first running race. It's not really a huge deal, because after all, I am not trying to win anything for my endeavors. However, every book and magazine on running says that racing at least once a month is a major aspect of every runners' training. I think this is so for at least a couple of reasons.

First, pulse. At the starting line, I took my pulse and it was about 105 beats/minute. Being my first race and I was nervous and excited, this was up about 40-45 from my resting pulse. So, the more I race, the more comfortable and less nervous I will become.

Second, pace. I had a bit of a hard time finding it. My first mile I ran in about 7:30; the second mile about 9:40; the third a 8:10 mile, for a 25:20 total race time. I knew going into the race that I wanted to run faster than I do in my training. But these three miles do not represent the goals I stated before the race. My goal miles were 8:30, 8:00, and 7:30 respectively. Posting negative splits for all three miles. I am not too happy that my fastest mile was the first one. Obviously a beginners mistake. I got easily carried away by the clip-clop echos of the runners' feet on the downtown city asphalt; all of their heads bobbing up and down to the same, yet different rhythm; and the sea of 2,600 runners being funneled though the city like a giant human river.

Third, the dynamics of a race. The first mile was a blur. From your "fun-runners" to your "slower" runners, the serious runner needs to dodge and dart to get ahead of the traffic . . . or so I thought. By the time I started the second mile, I was through all of the slower traffic, but now in a higher strain of runners, who although faster than the others, still were not running the pace I wanted. In fact, I would guess it was the 10 minute mile group I was in the midst of. After the first mile, even though I wasn't running at the speed I wanted, I ran at a pace which was more comfortable because it was more consistent and steady. By the time I "got out" of that group, it was the end of the 2nd mile.

"One mile left to get back on goal pace," I thought.

I knew I had about 8 minutes to finish, so I did my best to increase speed to what I thought I should be running to do it, which was almost a full sprint.

I finished strong and I felt great. So overall, it was a positive experience. Not exactly the goal time I wanted, sure. But nevertheless, fun, inspiring and addictive. One thing I would have changed is my amount of exertion. I really pushed myself the first and third miles, but the second, although I could blame it on the pack I was in, was not run with as much gusto as I would have liked. By the end of a race, I think I should be thoroughly exhausted because I used everything I had to do the best I could.

One of the best things about the race was that it was the inaugural event. There was a lot of hype involved and a lot of excited spectators eager to see what a marathon entails. What a great time!