I don’t make a habit of running back to back races on weekends, but this weekend was an exception.
Saturday was a test where I intended to run a smart race unattached from the double stroller. My goal was to negative split, feel good, and run sub 24.
But Sunday is the the real story…
I posted a #TBT last week of out very first race…12 years ago in 2003.
A friend from work mentioned she was doing a 5k. A 5k? I was a year out of college where I played division three basketball all four years. Lifting weights and going for a run every once in a while were my athletic endeavors at the time. My then boyfriend (now husband) would run too and do push-ups and pull-ups (we also played bball on dates–so cute, I know 😉 )
Anyway, it sounded cool and we figured 3 miles wasn’t that far.
The morning of the race, dressed in baggy basketball shorts, we wondered if the race would go on:
It’s raining! Do they still do them in the rain??
We went and tried to follow the crowd and fit in with the runners. Numbers pinned, rain falling, standing with a crowd of soggy racers, we waited for the signal.
I’d be lying if I said I remembered the details of my race that day (I do know the course was hilly and shortened due to rain), but I know my finish time was 21:27. Good enough for first in my age group.
They give you medals?!
We were hooked. Analyzing the race. How to improve our paces. Where to shave off time. More aerodynamic shorts. And how to actually train.
Over 200 races later…the rest is history.
We returned this weekend for the first time as runners and had a fun time reflecting on how far we’ve come and how grateful we are for that opportunity. The running community has changed out lives. They are our friends, our family. They ‘get’ us. We can talk during runs, or not talk at all. We can pick up right where we left off regardless of how long it’s been. They accept us, they encourage us. They push us, or not–whatever we need.
I’ve also been talking a lot about PRs and whatnot lately, and I wanted to touch on where my drive and competitive edge comes from. I mentioned earlier that I was always an athlete–even a college athlete. And this quote that I found on Pinterest is me–totally and completely me.
I am always striving to beat myself, to better myself, to reach my fruition. I’m not perfect, my confidence waivers at times, but my drive to be the best I can is strong and right now I’m in a sort of comeback phase, trying to remind myself of the athlete I am…
So much to talk about today!
How was your first race experience?
Do you have a funny story to go along with it?
Do you have a strong local running community?
Are you driven to PR or do you just run for fun?
