My First Race
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I'm assuming that for many people, the first race is a big thing. For me, there were many big moments and important things that I learned as a result of not being prepared. I'd like to share those, to help anyone looking to start running in races of any distance.
Head whirling and trying to figure out where the starting line was, we just kept walking. we were lost, late, and unprepared; and then salvation presented itself in the form of a voice over a loud speaker: "Last call for the 10k!" My sister and I looked around, and spotted the start line with a sigh of relief.
I guess I should rewind. I woke up Saturday morning in my bed, well rested and ready to get into Fredericton for the race. With a 2pm pick-up for race kit, I wanted to be on-time. More than that, I wanted everything to be perfect. I ate oatmeal, with maple syrup, an English muffin and orange juice for breakfast and packed my bag: running shirt, shoes, shorts, compression shorts, insulated sleeves, iPod, charger, headphones, arm band, computer, socks and a change of clothes for after the run.
I don't want to make this a long post, so I'll keep it brief. I got the running kits for myself and my sister. We were running together and everything felt like it was going to go smoothly. I was headed to my friend's house, to play guitar with some friends, work on some songs and maybe play some games outside. What happened was as follows:
1) We had a water gun fight with his kids. It was fun and as it turns out, Nerf took over the Super Soaker brand and the water guns are cool.
2) We played Bocce Ball, which led to the infamous question: "Want a beer?"
3) Against my better judgement, and knowing that I had a race to run the next morning, I had a beer, and three more to follow.
4) Supper: We ate BBQ. After my carefully picked breakfast of oatmeal, maple syrup, and an English muffin with almond butter and raspberry preserves, and my strategic steak sub for lunch (red meat is good for me according to the blood-type diet), I threw the whole day's nutrition out the window with a meal of two hamburgers, two sausages, a hot dog and I threw some salad in there just to balance things out.
I was clearly off to a good start. I was covering all my bases of preparation for my run as I had read them in all of those Runner's World magazines I'd read. I'm sure they said that you should over-eat, consume alcohol, and stay up late before a run... which brings me to #5...
5) I stayed up until midnight when I needed to meet my sister at 6:30am for breakfast.
With all of my prep work from the morning and the previous months of running dashed in an evening, I awoke to my alarm at 6:10am. I'd given myself an extra ten minutes of sleep because I thought it might help. Yeah, right. Searching frantically for all of my racing gear, rummaging through my bag and trying not to wake my wife - sound asleep in the bed two feet away - I grabbed everything I had so prudently packed and went out the door.
I was 10 minutes late to meet my sister in the parking lot of the Sobey's on Regent street in Fredericton and then I drove us to eat. Since everything has gone well to this point - let me recap - I am slightly dehydrated from the beer, over-tired and late, why would I expect it to get better. I downed my Gatorade pre-game drink and then read that I was supposed to drink it 15 minutes before my workout... Oops, the run was 1:50 away... and we went to breakfast. Kate (my sister) chose Cora's, which to our surprise wasn't open yet. We had to wait until 7am. It wasn't all that bad though. We eventually sat down to eat and had far too much, which is great for a stomach about to run 10 kilometers. But the food was tasty and we still left with a nice doggy bag for after the race.
Then came the great idea to wake my wife up. Kate wanted pictures of us running and there was no one to hold the camera. So we called her and got her out of bed and into our car. She may not have been happy about it, but when the steam stopped rolling from her ears, we proceeded to the race.
The start time was 8:20. Being the wise and prepared person that I am, I cut it close. I have no idea when we made it back to the Sobey's that was situated 5 blocks from the starting line, but I knew it was close. Then, to further prove how much sense and presence of mind I had, I didn't look at the clock in the car, when I got out. So I had no idea what time it was, or how long we had to get to the starting line, let alone where the line actually was.
Walking down the sidewalk to the square on Aberdeen st, between St. John st and Church st, we saw the event. Then we saw a large mass of people running, most of them in the bright blue shirts emblazoned with "Fredericton Marathon". My sister looked at me, "We're late." We both smiled and said, "Oh, well. We start when we start." Then we started walking in the direction of the great hub-bub. There were tents and metal fencing all over the place, indicating that there was some sense of order and formality in the chaos I saw before me, but all I could make out was that everyone knew where they were going, except me. I had no idea who had just started running and since I hadn't looked at a clock it may have been my group. There was another group lining up and if that was the 5k group then I had no idea when we would be able to start our run. Maybe we'd missed our chance. Maybe, we wouldn't get to run.
At least I had been spared the embarrassment of having to ask where I should pin my number. I was given many examples of possibilities just from looking at the people around. I took the most common example and pinned it across my stomach. Even worse than not knowing where to pin my number was the thought of being a full grown man, and not knowing where to put the little timing chip that I was given. I was searching around to see where other people were storing the little, round, button-like computer chip that was meant to track my time. I couldn't find a single example to follow and I was too afraid to ask - filled with manly bravado, and the fear of admitting that I was new and dumb to the ways of running, I was stumped. So, I stuck it in the little pocket on the inside of my shorts, hoping that somehow, the fabric wouldn't hinder it's function.
I never thought that as a man approaching 30 years old, I'd have to worry about social anxiety. But there I was: nervous that I wouldn't fit in. I have to say that those fears were totally unfounded. No one cared where I pinned my number. People had them pinned to their legs or backs; their hats or bums. It was nothing to be concerned about. What did concern me was starting. Luckily, the loud speakers boomed to life and told us we had 3 minutes until the start of the 10k. And noticing that there was a large group of people in the road, my sister and I joined them.
We started our iPods. Mine, with its thoughtfully selected "running" playlist of songs with just the right bpm for setting a good pace. The right music can improve your pace. Just by having the right bpm in your song, it can help you create a good cadence. After telling Kate that I'd made a special playlist for running, her response was, "Jon!" said "Joooooooooon!" and then, "Why didn't you tell me to do that?" I should say that I have served as my sister's running coach in this endeavor. Clearly I could have done a better job. But at least she showed up, well trained and rested (she didn't have anything to drink and she did get a good night's rest.
When the count down started, my heart began to pump. There are only a few things like waiting for the starting horn of a race in my experience: Waiting to play the first song of your set list, in front of a packed room; waiting for the puck to drop on your first face-off, and waiting for the ride to start on your first roller-coaster. It was great. The horn sounded and we were off. We started at the back of the pack, but Kate and I developed a strategy: Find the hole and run through it. We were like military men, moving through a city block, pointing at openings and motioning for the other to move. All clear! Go, go go! We dodged through great masses of runners, gaining on the rest of the pack and smiling each moment.
We crossed the walking bridge and made our way out into along nice trails. I have to say that Fredericton is a beautiful city. It is worth visiting just for the trail systems. The run was beautiful. There were lots of trees and we ran along the river, with nearly overflowing banks. The water was so high and ran fast as strong. It swept up among the trees and hugged the trails. But the scenery wasn't the only great thing. There were people all along the trails cheering and smiling for everyone. At any moment, a person could look over and smile and a bell would be rung, or clapping would begin. There were yelled words of encouragement and if you looked closely, there were even hidden signs left under rocks along the path to help motivate certain runners. Those must have been left by friends or family of some runner in their first race as well. "You can do it, short legs," was written on a white sheet and left under a rock along the path. How lucky people are in this world who get to experience that kind of care and love, that someone would take the time to make the sign and place it on the trail brings me joy.
But as the race wore on, around the half-way point, Kate began to tire. She is a great little runner and I'm proud to say that we ran strong the whole way. But, we were no longer catching people the way we had been in the first third of the race. I was surprised that I was still full of life. I would sprint ahead to the water stations and get a drink while Kate would run a steady pace and catch up to me while I gulped down my drink. It was great. I think in the end I would have been able to keep going, and have finished a half-marathon, but when we crossed the finish line, I was never more proud. Kate and I had completed the run together. Stride for stride we'd conquered something as brother and sister. Next I think we will try a half-marathon and I feel ready. Kate, I hope you're up for it, because I'm looking forward to running with you again. The brother, sister team needs to take on another race.
Now, despite the fact that I didn't do a proper final preparation for the race, I finished strong and I think the only reason that was the case was that I was in good shape for a 10k. I had been training for a half. I also think that the Gatorade pre-game drink helped a lot in the end. I had lots of energy. But I will say that I have learned these few things:
1) Don't worry about stupid things like where to put your number. Just ask. People are generally nice and willing to help out new runners. There were so many smiling faces along the route cheering and so many people standing around helping, that there is no reason to be shy or worried of judgement. If I couldn't tell who the noobs were, then how can anyone tell if I happen to be new to running myself.
2) Get a good night's sleep. It didn't hurt me this time, but it will for a half-marathon. And after the race, when I got home, I crashed in bed for 2 solid hours. I was beat.
3) Good nutrition is key. We had lots of fruit for breakfast. Don't eat a huge meal the night before either. On a long run, you might just be running to the bathroom.
Aside from that, I hope you enjoy your first race, and I hope you enjoyed my story.
I guess I should rewind. I woke up Saturday morning in my bed, well rested and ready to get into Fredericton for the race. With a 2pm pick-up for race kit, I wanted to be on-time. More than that, I wanted everything to be perfect. I ate oatmeal, with maple syrup, an English muffin and orange juice for breakfast and packed my bag: running shirt, shoes, shorts, compression shorts, insulated sleeves, iPod, charger, headphones, arm band, computer, socks and a change of clothes for after the run.
I don't want to make this a long post, so I'll keep it brief. I got the running kits for myself and my sister. We were running together and everything felt like it was going to go smoothly. I was headed to my friend's house, to play guitar with some friends, work on some songs and maybe play some games outside. What happened was as follows:
1) We had a water gun fight with his kids. It was fun and as it turns out, Nerf took over the Super Soaker brand and the water guns are cool.
2) We played Bocce Ball, which led to the infamous question: "Want a beer?"
3) Against my better judgement, and knowing that I had a race to run the next morning, I had a beer, and three more to follow.
4) Supper: We ate BBQ. After my carefully picked breakfast of oatmeal, maple syrup, and an English muffin with almond butter and raspberry preserves, and my strategic steak sub for lunch (red meat is good for me according to the blood-type diet), I threw the whole day's nutrition out the window with a meal of two hamburgers, two sausages, a hot dog and I threw some salad in there just to balance things out.
I was clearly off to a good start. I was covering all my bases of preparation for my run as I had read them in all of those Runner's World magazines I'd read. I'm sure they said that you should over-eat, consume alcohol, and stay up late before a run... which brings me to #5...
5) I stayed up until midnight when I needed to meet my sister at 6:30am for breakfast.
With all of my prep work from the morning and the previous months of running dashed in an evening, I awoke to my alarm at 6:10am. I'd given myself an extra ten minutes of sleep because I thought it might help. Yeah, right. Searching frantically for all of my racing gear, rummaging through my bag and trying not to wake my wife - sound asleep in the bed two feet away - I grabbed everything I had so prudently packed and went out the door.
I was 10 minutes late to meet my sister in the parking lot of the Sobey's on Regent street in Fredericton and then I drove us to eat. Since everything has gone well to this point - let me recap - I am slightly dehydrated from the beer, over-tired and late, why would I expect it to get better. I downed my Gatorade pre-game drink and then read that I was supposed to drink it 15 minutes before my workout... Oops, the run was 1:50 away... and we went to breakfast. Kate (my sister) chose Cora's, which to our surprise wasn't open yet. We had to wait until 7am. It wasn't all that bad though. We eventually sat down to eat and had far too much, which is great for a stomach about to run 10 kilometers. But the food was tasty and we still left with a nice doggy bag for after the race.
Then came the great idea to wake my wife up. Kate wanted pictures of us running and there was no one to hold the camera. So we called her and got her out of bed and into our car. She may not have been happy about it, but when the steam stopped rolling from her ears, we proceeded to the race.
The start time was 8:20. Being the wise and prepared person that I am, I cut it close. I have no idea when we made it back to the Sobey's that was situated 5 blocks from the starting line, but I knew it was close. Then, to further prove how much sense and presence of mind I had, I didn't look at the clock in the car, when I got out. So I had no idea what time it was, or how long we had to get to the starting line, let alone where the line actually was.
 |
| Before the race |
At least I had been spared the embarrassment of having to ask where I should pin my number. I was given many examples of possibilities just from looking at the people around. I took the most common example and pinned it across my stomach. Even worse than not knowing where to pin my number was the thought of being a full grown man, and not knowing where to put the little timing chip that I was given. I was searching around to see where other people were storing the little, round, button-like computer chip that was meant to track my time. I couldn't find a single example to follow and I was too afraid to ask - filled with manly bravado, and the fear of admitting that I was new and dumb to the ways of running, I was stumped. So, I stuck it in the little pocket on the inside of my shorts, hoping that somehow, the fabric wouldn't hinder it's function.
 |
| Figuring out where to put my number |
We started our iPods. Mine, with its thoughtfully selected "running" playlist of songs with just the right bpm for setting a good pace. The right music can improve your pace. Just by having the right bpm in your song, it can help you create a good cadence. After telling Kate that I'd made a special playlist for running, her response was, "Jon!" said "Joooooooooon!" and then, "Why didn't you tell me to do that?" I should say that I have served as my sister's running coach in this endeavor. Clearly I could have done a better job. But at least she showed up, well trained and rested (she didn't have anything to drink and she did get a good night's rest.
When the count down started, my heart began to pump. There are only a few things like waiting for the starting horn of a race in my experience: Waiting to play the first song of your set list, in front of a packed room; waiting for the puck to drop on your first face-off, and waiting for the ride to start on your first roller-coaster. It was great. The horn sounded and we were off. We started at the back of the pack, but Kate and I developed a strategy: Find the hole and run through it. We were like military men, moving through a city block, pointing at openings and motioning for the other to move. All clear! Go, go go! We dodged through great masses of runners, gaining on the rest of the pack and smiling each moment.
We crossed the walking bridge and made our way out into along nice trails. I have to say that Fredericton is a beautiful city. It is worth visiting just for the trail systems. The run was beautiful. There were lots of trees and we ran along the river, with nearly overflowing banks. The water was so high and ran fast as strong. It swept up among the trees and hugged the trails. But the scenery wasn't the only great thing. There were people all along the trails cheering and smiling for everyone. At any moment, a person could look over and smile and a bell would be rung, or clapping would begin. There were yelled words of encouragement and if you looked closely, there were even hidden signs left under rocks along the path to help motivate certain runners. Those must have been left by friends or family of some runner in their first race as well. "You can do it, short legs," was written on a white sheet and left under a rock along the path. How lucky people are in this world who get to experience that kind of care and love, that someone would take the time to make the sign and place it on the trail brings me joy.
 |
| Making it to the finish-line |
But as the race wore on, around the half-way point, Kate began to tire. She is a great little runner and I'm proud to say that we ran strong the whole way. But, we were no longer catching people the way we had been in the first third of the race. I was surprised that I was still full of life. I would sprint ahead to the water stations and get a drink while Kate would run a steady pace and catch up to me while I gulped down my drink. It was great. I think in the end I would have been able to keep going, and have finished a half-marathon, but when we crossed the finish line, I was never more proud. Kate and I had completed the run together. Stride for stride we'd conquered something as brother and sister. Next I think we will try a half-marathon and I feel ready. Kate, I hope you're up for it, because I'm looking forward to running with you again. The brother, sister team needs to take on another race.
Now, despite the fact that I didn't do a proper final preparation for the race, I finished strong and I think the only reason that was the case was that I was in good shape for a 10k. I had been training for a half. I also think that the Gatorade pre-game drink helped a lot in the end. I had lots of energy. But I will say that I have learned these few things:
1) Don't worry about stupid things like where to put your number. Just ask. People are generally nice and willing to help out new runners. There were so many smiling faces along the route cheering and so many people standing around helping, that there is no reason to be shy or worried of judgement. If I couldn't tell who the noobs were, then how can anyone tell if I happen to be new to running myself.
2) Get a good night's sleep. It didn't hurt me this time, but it will for a half-marathon. And after the race, when I got home, I crashed in bed for 2 solid hours. I was beat.
 |
| Kate and I after the race |
Aside from that, I hope you enjoy your first race, and I hope you enjoyed my story.
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