First ever 5k race - Sunday March 20th, 2011....
Evergreen Cemetery, Jacksonville
Evergreen Cemetery, Jacksonville
7 women runners in the 60 - 64 age group - all I expected for my first race was to finish
Early morning start - race was to start at 8am - had to leave home at 6.30 to get there and parked for 7am. Signon comprised of picking up the timing chip -that's all! Bib already attached to my shirt thanks to the inventor of safety pins, all I needed to do was to loop the timing device through my left shoe lace. Very simple signon procedure no checks, signatures nothing ...... not at all like signing on to compete in a race in Europe (car race that is).
And then it was time to warm up, check out the start area and a piece of the circuit. Boxes of bananas were already beginning to appear - not my favorite but small cups of water very much appreciated. never having done this before I was a little on edge.
And then it was time to get to the start line and join the other runners. Deliberately kept to the right hand side up front knowing full well there were other much better runners than me all around me. Waiting for the 'gun' to go off - not something I was looking forward to I was strung up enough without being catapulted out of my skin - suddenly we all started running. Five seconds after the start the 'gun' went off. Later learnt that it had malfunctioned so there must have been a verbal start although I do not remember hearing it.
One heart stopping moment not too long after the start a young girl went across the track from my left and stopped right in front of me! Just had time to jump left before carrying on. Don't know what she was thinking of but man that was close!
At the first mile marker the electronic clock showed I was running just over a 9 minute mile - not too bad I just needed to keep going and finish. Somewhere around the two and a half mile mark I really started to feel exhausted and at one point stopped but only momentarily. My mind shouted at me: Get going and keep going you are going to finish And I did.
Seeing that finish line was the greatest incentive to keep going ever.... remembering how I felt I must have looked gruesome :-(
Being a newbie I did not expect to have a 'helper' waiting just after the finish line to take my timing chip from me and I almost ran straight past her - I certainly wanted to keep going at that point! She not only untied my shoe lace to remove the chip but also insisted on re-tying the laces as well..... bless her.
Catching up with friends who had been waiting for me at the finish line - Fausto who had also run said to me - 'You've won a medal...' No way - I don't think so, said I. And I did not believe his words until I saw the results sheets..... Wow what a result!
