I ran my first race of the 2016 season Saturday. I wasn't planning on running it until a friend told me too. I wasn't scheduled to work that morning, so I sent in my entry form.
The morning was a chilly and the roads were dry. No snow on the ground this year like last year. I ran the race in an Oiselle long sleeve shirt, Oiselle jacket, Oiselle roga long shorts, compression socks and gloves. My legs were a little cold, but warmed up after the race started.
For the first race of the year, I had no goals. I just wanted to finish and try to have fun. I passed a younger runner during the first mile, but was unable to catch the group in front of me. I ran the first mile in 8:27. I was running alone during the second mile until two ladies caught and passed me. I wasn't able to keep up with them. Shortly after the ladies passed me, a man caught and passed me too. I was keeping a good pace until I developed some stomach cramps during the second mile. I tried to not let them bother me too much. I don't think I slowed down, but I may have.
Before finishing the race, the course turned right into a subdivision. We had to run around a small block before running to the finish line. When I turned the corner into the subdivision, my watch said 24:xx. I was happy with the time, but I knew I needed to speed up if I wanted to finish under 27 minutes. When I left the subdivision and was running toward the finish line, people watching were yelling for a man behind me. I didn't know how close he was, but I didn't want him to pass me. I ran as fast as I could to the line. I stopped my watch at 27 minutes. According to the official timer, I finished the race in 26:59. I placed second in my age group.
I was happy with my first race of the year. I'm happy my friend urged me to sign up and run. Running is a joy and I need to always remember that.
The Final Days, Bob Woodward & Carl Bernstein
