2/25/12 RACEDAY!

I DID IT! I did it! I did it!

Doing a little happy dance because I finished my first race! Ever! It was a 4 mile race through Prospect Park at 8am. What a beautiful day for a race, sun was shining, wind was breezy but not overpowering, it was cold but not freezing. Gorgeous.
The funny thing was, I checked the website last night and they were considering postponing the race due to weather conditions. Ha! I guess it's hard to tell even 12 hours ahead of time what it's going to be like.

Met a couple girls, one who was also a first-time racer who started running in October (just like me!) and another who had run the race last year as her first ever race. Really nice and supportive and helped calm my nerves as I pinned on my bib number.

Then after jamming all together, the race started and in two minutes I'd already lost track of those girls I met. This race was for me, no matter how goofy, red-faced or slow I looked. I got to the start line about 7 minutes after they blew the horn and had already lost track of the two. So I kept subtracting 7 from each mile-marker timer. Mile 1 was good, it was a little slow going being in the last group of runners, so there were a ton of people in front of me. We went down a little hill at first which was nice and encouraging. Then another little gradual incline I made it past mile 1 around 18 minutes (so my time was 11min). Mile 2 was much more flat and forgiving. During my workouts, between mile 1 and 2 is usually where I start bargaining with myself or take a walking break. But I kept going, kept running. Passed a water station, passed mile 2, passed another water station. By then I was sucking wind but was feeling good. Tired, wired and good. Took off one glove, then two. Looped around the lake and passed mile 3. Took off my purple wool Alaska bear paw hat. Glanced longingly at the water station as I trudged by.
We were coming back around the bend, I was soooo tempted to walk for a minute. Just to catch my breath, give my muscles a break. But I kept going. I could hear the sounds of the speaker system at the start/finish line echoing through the park. I was almost there.
And then, the hill. The course was a loop and at the end we doubled back on the first section. The hill that was my friend getting going was now my worst nightmare. It wasn't mountain steep, but to my poor calf muscles it was Everest. Made it halfway and was slogging. Made it 3/4 up the hill and just had to. I walked. For 20 seconds. Then started my shuffling run again all the way in to the finish line.

4 miles. Check.

Wham, bam, thank you Al Gordon.
Feeling so good and so sleepy. Going to nap and then plan the rest of my weekend. Oh and workouts. Got a 5-k next weekend!