First 5 K

Yesterday I ran my first 5 K, in what I hope is to become a series of 5Ks. I ended up running it in 29:15. Much better than I had thought I would do. My goal was less than 30:00. First, I was nervous because I was going by myself, and I didn't know what to do or where to go. But I figured it out. It was the 4th in a series of 5 FARC sponsored Cross Country Runs. There is another next week as well. I hope to be able to do it again. There are four interesting things that I noticed during my run.

First, I was incredibly nervous, my heart-rate was skyrocketing. I checked it a lot and noticed that it was in the 170's, I usually run with it hovering around 154 or so. I am not certain whether it was the nervousness of being in a race or the pace at which I ran it. I will have to check that out again next week, when I try again.

Second, I expected that there would mainly be 5 or so people running but when I got there, there were maybe 50 people. Many were students from the local high schools' cross country teams. It was great to see them out there and watch how quickly they destroyed the competition. It was also funny to remember that I used to warm up for a race, by running a mile or so. I was out there for the 5K and that was it. So I just stretched and ran. I had fun but ran hard.

Third, I have been practicing changing my form to run with shorter strides and a different body position. I found that on the trails in the woods, I experienced complete joy during that section. Not only did increase my speed in that section; but also, I passed some people that I would not have passed them on the flats or in the open. A good reason to keep up that running position.

Finally, I ended up running into a former student of mine. I had this student who had escaped from the Sudan by having been adopted by a church with the rest of his family. I ran the entire race with his younger sister. Nothing like getting schooled by a 6th grader. But the reason I mention this is because, running is unique. I would not have had a great and interesting experience without my having had the compunction to run again. More stories to follow, with the more races I run.

May you have a similar running experience on your next run.