First Run

The First Run is intended to be the first run of the year. It starts at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve. Instead of "ready, set, go!" the race starts with "10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. Happy New Year!"

This was my first 5k in a long time, and I wasn't sure what to expect. Always a distance runner, and a slow distance runner, I have no experience with actually racing for time. I have focused on distance running most of this year, and not so much on speedwork. So, I didn't know if I would be running an actual 5k pace, or my regular distance pace, just for a shorter distance. I used the Running Times race pace calculator to see what my 5k pace should be, based on a recent 10k PR. It gave me 26 minutes. Considering that I marathon at about a 10:30 pace, this seemed a little unrealistic. Add to that the race started at midnight, 19 hours after I got up for the day. And I drank 3 beers at a party before heading downtown to register for the race. And I spent the hour between registering and starting the race using up all my energy dancing to stay warm. I just wasn't sure what kind of time to expect.

When it was finally time to line up to run, the day's constant drizzle was on hiatus, the moon was shining intermittently through passing clouds, and the air was a balmy 50 degrees. I was pumped up from dancing and feeling pretty good, so I just ran as fast as I wanted. When I got to the turn-around, I was a little short of breath, but still feeling great, so I spotted a woman several paces ahead of me, caught up to her, and drafted off her a while. About halfway back to the start, I felt like picking it up, so I left the lady behind and passed several dozen others until I started feeling out of breath again.

I looked around for someone running a steady pace and spotted a 30-something looking guy with a nice, efficient stride. I pulled up behind him and let him pace. I was breathing hard, but steady, so figured I could keep up the pace. A few minutes later, the fountain at Salmon came into sight, which signaled the end was very near. The 30-something man was apparently aware of my drafting, because he turned around and said, "It's time to kick it up," and ran off. I yelled out, "I'm right behind you!" and took off after him. I lost sight of where he was, concentrated as I was on running toward the finish line. There was a moment when my legs burned, my lungs burned, and my head felt a little light, but as it was right at the finish line, I pushed through. As I crossed the final finish mat and heard that beep, I looked up at the clock and burst into a smile. 25:13.

Now I am motivated to work on shorter distances and pace for a few months before the half marathon/marathon season starts back up this spring.