First 5k: Success

The first 5k, or any race for that matter, of my life went on as scheduled yesterday. You can read about my pre-race expectations and plans here. I kind of knew what was going to go on at an event like this but, since it was my first, I certainly was a little nervous and unsure of what would happen.

• How competitive would it be?
• How formal is the actual race?
• Were there rules you had to follow?
• What does the course look like?
• Will there be a long line to get your packet?
• Is the course hilly?
• How will I react to "competitive" racing?
• Will I be able to run like I have in training?
• On and on and on...

You get the picture, I really didn't know much going into the event. Some of it, I'm sure I could have alleviated with some research but I wasn't too worried about it and I can go with the flow in about any situation so it was going to be okay.

Pre-Race Plan
I gave myself a rest day on Friday after running 2.5 miles on Thursday so I could make sure that my legs were feeling good Saturday morning. I planned on getting a good amount of sleep but helping out a friend the night before kind of limited that. I ended up sleeping for about 5 hours and waking up a little after 6 am Saturday morning, a little earlier than I had planned. I didn't have a hangover: good news; didn't drink much on Friday, as planned. And I had about 500 calories of peanuts for breakfast at about 7 am (2 hours before race time) and drank plenty of water.

Once at the race site, we got our race packets/numbers; there was essentially no line: more good news. I was number 47, don't really know if this is good luck; I'm not really superstitious anyways. The weather was great: chilly and sunny; I bet it was about 40 degrees at the time we moved to the starting line. I made sure to warm up/stretch just like I do for training and soccer and this seemed to work. I made sure I kept loose/moving as we got ready to go.

Race Time!
Time to move to the start/finish line! Me and my training partner have decided we are going to push the pace and try to finish as fast as we can. As we are standing there, I still don't really know what to expect; I don't know what the course looks like beyond the start, I don't know how competitive I'll be, I don't know much of anything except the distance and that I'm going to try to push my pace as hard as I can. Our collective goal is to finish in under 25 minutes.

We move towards the front of the pack, there's over 200 people "running". Then right as we get toward the front...the horn goes off! My buddy is out ahead, pacing us, we start passing everyone who was still in front of us, weaving in and out of traffic. The course is a 10-foot wide, loose gravel trail through the woods in western Wake County; as I will find out, it is very flat and goes out and back; halfway through the race, there is a mark on the ground that you run around and go back the opposite direction. About 1/4 of a mile in, we've passed almost everyone and everyone is starting to move to the right of the trail; I don't know how we're going to finish as far as speed, but I know that right now, we are moving fast, at least for us. Between about 1/2 and 1 mile in, I take the pace position and don't relinquish it for the rest of the race. As we get near the turn, we start seeing runners come the other way; one guy is way ahead, the rest are nearer to our ability level. I count the racers, I'm in 7th overall as we hit the turn. Also as we turn, I start pulling away from my buddy, slowly; I'm feeling good at this point. My legs are holding up and my air is working pretty good as well; I don't know if I'll be able to keep it up, but I'm going to try.


Just after this point, I pass a girl...6th place overall! I'm also not hearing any other racers behind me and still feeling good. With about a mile left, I feel like my pace slows a little and I'm laboring a little more. I get passed by 3 runners at this point, but I know I am in 9th overall coming into the final 1/2 mile. At this point, I'm breathing heavily and my legs are hurting pretty good, but I'm still not hearing anyone coming from behind and there's no way I would ever look back! After I pass the marker for the final 1/2 mile, I start searching for the finish; I make my way over to the left side of the trail, peering around the trees.


Finally, I see the black arch/red numbers of the clock! I'm in the home stretch and still don't hear any other runners. In a perfect world, I would have had a kick to be able to catch the 2 runners in front of me, but I don't have anything left. I keep telling myself, "Just keep running." I don't want to get passed but I couldn't have done anything about it someone tried to overtake me. As I get closer to the clock, I start to see the numbers: there's a 22 in the place that is supposed to have the minutes! It seems to take forever, but I move toward the finish. As I cross the line, the time on the clock is 22:56. (My official chip-time: 22:52.1)


I made sure to keep moving after finish, to do my cool-down walk. I'm doing everything I can to not throw-up in the woods. My throat feels like it's bleeding from the cold air and I taste blood every time I spit. But I had finished and there was almost no one there to greet me, which at this type of event, was a great feeling; I had finished almost at the front. I ran a 7:23 mile pace over 3.1 miles; faster than any other timed mile I have ever run previously.

Link to Race Results


My finishing stats:

• 22:51.1 over 3.1 miles; 7:23 mile pace
• 9th place overall out of 226 "runners" (Many were, in fact, walkers by choice)
• 7th place male, 1st in the 20-29 age group (Not counting the 2 that were Overall Top 3)

I actually didn't get beat by anyone younger than me...so...in your face, kids (CORRECTION: Got beat by a 17 year-old girl) . And I also had a great rest of my binge day eating pizza and tortilla, and drinking beer with friends. Generally unhealthy, but a great day overall. I look forward to my next endurance event: any kind of run, bike or triathlon/duathlon; I'm excited to try them all.