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I can’t believe it. The guy who never wanted to run in an organized race is totally consumed by race day–and it’s still four days away! I’ve been chatting with JD about it, I’ve been probing my wife about it, I’ve been racking my brain about it–it’s all I can think about these days. Well that and the stupid monthly mileage competition I’ve been having with JD and my wife.
You may be wondering what I’m worried about; the main problem is that I don’t really know how to treat the race. Should I treat it as a run through the park where I lollygag, smell the flowers, look at the pretty river, and dance around looking at the trees swaying in the wind? Or should I pretend there’s a ferocious, snarling, 1-ton grizzly bear chasing me from behind and I’ve got a juicy, pink, Alaskan King Salmon stapled to my back? I just don’t know.
I also don’t know what to expect out of myself. Pam keeps talking about “escalating goals” which I take to mean as a system of goals that evolves during the course of the race depending on how I’m performing. So here they are, from easiest to hardest. Since I’ve never run a race before, the first goal is to finish. My intermediate goal is to finish in under 60 minutes and my top goal is to finish in under 55 minutes.
Now, I’m not the most athletically competitive person in the world. I like to do my share if I’m part of a team and everyone’s counting on each other. But when I’m alone, just me and the road, I don’t really push myself very hard. Pam always talks about how she hates getting passed when running races. I don’t think it would bother me too much if I got passed on the course. This doesn’t bode well for competing in a race.
I’m also worried about the logistics of running a race. Where do I put my stuff? Do I need to warm up first? If so, how much? Will I make a wrong turn? These things will probably take care of themselves and, in the end, I’m sure I’ll be fine. I’ll show up nervous, hit the port-a-potty, run the race to the best of my ability, and head home for some Memorial Day Wine Tasting. That will make it all worth it. Wish us both luck. I’m sure we’ll write about how we did and what we thought some time next week.
J.D.
14 responses so far ↓
1 energyguy78 // May 23, 2008 at 6:11 am
Where do I put my stuff?
Leave in car. Only take what you want to run with.
Do I need to warm up first? Start your warmup from your where you park. Make sure it is at least a tenth of what you will be running.
Will I make a wrong turn? Unless if you are the first one, you won’t have to worry.
2 Amber // May 23, 2008 at 6:18 am
I had all of those worries before my first race, too (a 5k on May 9). You’re right, they all pretty much went away once I was there. Luckily, I had a friend with me to take pics at the finish line, so he held my stuff. As for missing a turn, there were plenty of people at my race, so I just followed the crowd. Also, there were volunteers at every turn to point you in the right direction. I’d definitely warm up a bit (nothing too strenuous) before a 10k.
Most importantly, have fun, and GOOD LUCK!
3 Zulu // May 23, 2008 at 6:25 am
To me, the 5ks and 10ks I run provide a measure of progress. My goal is to have a slightly better time for each one that I run (although it doesn’t always work out that way - some courses are just harder).
I tend to calibrate my running to my heart-rate, always striving to keep above 80% and below 90%, so my pacing usually falls into line pretty quickly. Before the heart-rate monitor I used to just find a girl with a nice looking bottom and try and keep up!
Above all, remember to have fun. Some races have alot more to them than just the race itself. Most have booths setup afterwards for free swag and food, and some even have beer gardens and such.
4 J.D. // May 23, 2008 at 6:46 am
Will I make a wrong turn?
Here’s an easy way to handle this. Since I ran the course on Monday to test it, you just stay behind me the whole way and you’ll be fine.
Heh.
5 MS // May 23, 2008 at 7:43 am
Good luck on your run!
It sounds like this is going to be a large race, participant wise. You may want to take some steps to make sure you line up with other runners that share your pace.
The easiest way to do this is ask (or sometimes they have signs with the expected paces listed). If everyone around you is planning to go faster than you, move back until your neighbors are closer to your goals time-wise. This will prevent the disheartening feeling of *everyone* passing you up as the different paces find their place. (going too far back isn’t helpful either, you start to get hooked on passing people and start going too fast)
Most of all - have fun with it! Runners are exceptionally friendly and supportive.
6 Chelsey // May 23, 2008 at 3:06 pm
I ran my first 10K in early April, and I had a lot of the same worries.
There was a “sweat shuttle” where you could put your bags, and I had to walk around so much before I didn’t feel like I needed a warmup.
You’ll be surprised at the adrenaline - don’t worry!
7 Joel // May 23, 2008 at 5:58 pm
Warming up is all about mobilizing calcium out of the sarcoplasmic reticulum of your muscle cells. I’d bet just checking the calcium concentration in your blood would give you a rough idea of how ready you are to run. Have Pam whip up a field test and include some unused syringes in your gear and you’re good to go.
(Also, good luck in the race. Remember that time you scored the only winning goal in the history of the FC Saints? Think of that moment when it’s time to escalate goals.)
8 macdaddy // May 23, 2008 at 6:00 pm
9 Brip Blap // May 23, 2008 at 6:34 pm
This made me smile. I remember running my first competitive race about 4 years ago - I was terrified. What if I have to pee? What if people laugh at how slow I run? What if I break both legs in a horrible freak accident?
Don’t be competitive. Have fun, enjoy the moment and remember- it’s the first of many to come! I thought I had died and gone to heaven when I finished my first competitive race. You’re going to love it - I guarantee it!
Steve
10 mrs darling // May 24, 2008 at 9:49 am
Hey JD! Go check out my before and now pics.
11 ester's health blog // May 25, 2008 at 4:13 am
a very sports minded.. but i gues it is better to have fun than worrying other things. You’ll never have fun when you put your worries ahead of the fun of running. Have a great day
12 J.D. // May 25, 2008 at 7:52 am
I can’t believe I forgot to add my goals.
My first goal is not to hurt myself. It’ll be fun to run a race with Mac, but not if I do so at the expense of my marathon training. My left quad has been sore for a week, and I’m almost certain it’s from handling downhills improperly.
My second goal is to to finish in under an hour. I finished in 1:05:25 during my practice run, but I wasn’t really pushing myself. Trimming a minute a mile might be too ambitious — I don’t know. But it’s still my goal. I just wish I knew how to pace myself on hills better…
13 mamaw // May 25, 2008 at 8:45 pm
Good luck guys and have a great race. I think it’s wonderful that you have come this far. You’ll both do great and sometime please
have Joel explain to me how you mobilize calcium.
14 The Family That Runs Together… // Aug 16, 2008 at 8:53 am
[...] the day approached, my anxiety rose. All of those pre-race jitters came back. To top it off, I haven’t been training for a race, just running for maintenance [...]
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