5k? OK!

Sunday, 01 November 2009

My months of training paid off. This past Saturday I competed in my first ever 5k, and it went better than I had expected it would. My lovely wife came out to support me -- and document the event. I was also joined by my mom and dad, whom I think just came out do see with their own eyes that I was actually running a 5k.  This was the Fright Nite 5k, which had a halloween theme to it. It took place at 8:00 in the evening and all of the runners were given glow-in-the-dark, rave-style necklaces to wear.  There was also some sort of protien bar thing. I don't know what it was, it looked like candy, so I just ate it.  Here are a couple of pre-race shots that January took to commemorate the occasion.

5k_3across

I wasn't entirely sure what to expect of this 5k, given it was late in the evening and warned that "scaredy cats" should not take part. I was half expecting it to be like running through a really long haunted house, with people jumping out at us trying to scare us.  Luckly, that was not the case.  There was a distinct halloween feel to the event, however, as many of the runners came dressed up in elaborate costumes.  I wasn't able to get a great picture, but there was one group of runners dressed up as the characters from the Wizard of Oz. I didn't cross paths with them on the run itself, but I would like to imagine that they skipped and sang the entire time.

At the end of the day, I did really well.  Better than I had expected.  My longest run prior to this race was about 4.25k, which I ran in about 38 minutes, so I was hoping to do the full 5k in less than 45 minutes.  I managed to get behind a couple that was keeping what felt like a comfortable pace to me, though, and ended up finishing the entire 5k in 38 minutes, 43 seconds!


5kelevation

As you can see from the map, the GPS on my phone was a bit out of whack for the first mile of the race. We actuall started the race running south on Mill Street and turning west on route 62 until we reached the western edge of the golf course.  I did do a bit of walking, especially at the beginning as I struggled to find a good pace and resist the urge to try to keep up with people as they passed me.  By end of the race, I was tired but I didn't feel completely exhausted.

So, now that my Couch to 5k training has been completed successfully, I do plan to keep running.  The race was a lot of fun, and I'd love to be able to do some more in the future.  Right now I have lofty ambitions to run a half marathon this time next year.  I'll do my best to train for that.  In the meantime, I promise to blog a little less about running and a little more about... anything else.  If you are, by chance, actually interested in keeping up to date on the runs I do, you can always keep an eye on my RunKeeper profile: http://runkeeper.com/user/amsoell

Thanks for all the encouragement and tips over the past couple of months. I don't think I would have actually gone through with this if it weren't for all the tips and words of advice I've gotten.  I've always wanted to be a runner, and I'm glad I was finally able to get to the point I'm at now.  Now to see if I can keep it up and make it a regular part of my daily life.

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