ridgeline
one. the blah mood the past two days, i've decided, was just pre-nervous blah-ness. and apparently, what i needed to do to get rid of it, was go running. heh. who knew!?!!
two. i signed up for my first 5K yesterday. i'd been meaning to sign up for it for i dunno, a week, and finally realized ok... i gotta actually do this, the race is FRIDAY!!! as in... 3 days, friday.
i spent pretty much all day yesterday kinda freakin' out about it. its a 5k. which is 3.1 miles. which... i run farther than that EVERY day that i run... so what's the big deal? i dunno. i was just... nervous. freakie-outtie nervous, not wanting to run nervous, suck on my thumb curl up in the fetal position nervous.
i've got 3 friends running the thing with me, which to a normal person would be a good thing, but to me, even though i INVITED them.. well. doesnt make me feel better. it's at night. which... that actually has nothing to do with anything and i'm actually looking forward to that aspect of it, but its something new, so i figured it warrented nervousness. it's the Race the Pace Car 5K, which means i'll be running on the kansas speedway... which again, i actually think is super cool, but, again, seemed like, at the time, something to be nervous about. plus chip-timers (which i dont even know how those work, i'm a race virgin) and bib numbers and lots of other people everywhere and.... even though its not even POSSIBLE because we're running ON the race track...what if i get lost?
(have i mentioned i'm somewhat neurotic and slightly crazy? no? well, nows a good time to let you in on that then i guess huh?!)
so i did that whole mental dance yesterday and it was a bit exhausting. a much needed talk with Texas Boy made me realize i'm being ridiculous (as if this were to come as some sort of surprise) and the only one that will care about my time is me and i'm only running against myself and THERE IS NOTHING TO BE WORRIED ABOUT.
so, that pretty much took care of that.
you know what else took care of that? today's glorious run!!!!!!!!! i ran the ridgeline for the first time this morning and, although i will say it pretty much chewed me up and spit me out (ouch) it was a great run.
for some reason, outta nowhere, i just had all this speed (well... for the first mile and a half anyway... until i got to the hill) which i was loving, because i wasnt even TRYING to go fast, i just... was! and it was awesome. the hill part..... well, that was a lot like climbing a stairmaster. not enjoyable and rather long. but the rest.... well, the rest was fantastic... somewhere around mile 3 it started raining on me, these big fat slow raindrops, and i was in heaven.... i was loving it, i didnt want to stop, and then it hit me...
.... huh. i think i actually might be turning into a runner.
whoa......that's nuts!
Comments
DATE: 6:18 PM
Let me get this straight...You are the friend of the the Hot Chic? Maybe you need to revise that a bit, unless you are hanging out with super models.
Posted by: The Big Cheese | July 4, 2006 8:03 PM
DATE: 10:53 AM
Your first race! How fun! How exciting!You will love it. The atmosphere is the best part...well, next to crossing the finish line with all your limbs intact. Race day butterflies can be a good thing...just take a few deep breaths and let yourself be nervous-excited about it! (Just ask the butteflies to at least fly in formation).Smile while you race. And yell 'THANK YOU!' as you pass the volunteers. Next thing you know, you'll be done and wishing for more!
Posted by: Running Chick | July 4, 2006 8:03 PM
DATE: 8:16 PM
Yep, you might be turning into a runner. What that means is that the marathon for which you are currently training is only a stepping stone. I was in college (as an "old" student) and running to keep a doctor happy. A younger classmate suggested a marathon, or at least a half marathon. I took his dare. That was 2 full marathons and one half-marathon ago. I am currently training for another half and another full marathon. And I really hate running.Watch out or you'll find yourself in the same category. One of those people who is ALWAYS training for a race. By the way, good luck and keep up the training. And keep dragging more people into it, with you.
Posted by: Tom | July 4, 2006 8:03 PM
DATE: 7:44 PM
sweeet! oh i can't wait for the report back on this one! its going to be amazing, whole lotta fun times. i love races and i've only done 2 :-)
Posted by: brent | July 4, 2006 8:03 PM
DATE: 4:16 PM
You're going to have a great time! I envy you. My first fun run like that came when I was 11 or 12. I can only remember a few little snippets. A 5k will be over before you know it. There will be a party atmosphere at both the start and the finish. Don't sweat it!
Posted by: SD | July 4, 2006 8:03 PM
DATE: 3:13 PM
My dad and I were going to run this race until I hurt my ankle, now all efforts are being focused on just running. Let me know all the details.
Posted by: Stephanie | July 4, 2006 8:03 PM
DATE: 2:08 PM
I am curious to hear what you have to say after the race. I'm running my first race this month and although I'm not anxious (yet) about it, I really don't know what to expect. I figure it's got to be different for everyone, but also the same. Sounds like I don't know what I'm talking about. (I don't!)
Posted by: drew | July 4, 2006 8:03 PM
DATE: 8:38 AM
My first race was a 15k. Don't worry, you'll love it. It's so much fun! I know it doesn't sound like it, but you get around other runners, and meet interesting people that you have a sense of community with. Don't worry about the chip, just attach it to your shoelaces (or wherever the directions say), and it'll take care of the timing for you.Because of the competitive nature of the race, expect that you'll automatically run it faster than a race-day 5k. It's that 'race mentality'.
Posted by: bitweever | July 4, 2006 8:03 PM
DATE: 8:33 AM
What a weirdo...you enjoy running? I am appalled and amazed.This stuff is addicting isn't it? :)
Posted by: Flatman | July 4, 2006 8:03 PM