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Race report: my first race EVER (warning: long and rambly)
So, I ran my first race yesterday. A cow-orker had sort of run a bet with me and so for the last 4 months, I actually went outside three times a week and ran. First only 1:30 minutes at a 9:00 min/kilometer pace until at the end, in my last long training run I ran the 6.2 kilometers in 48:30.
Now, what you need to understand is that I don't like running. At least, not a lot and certainly not all the time. If I have to do cardio (and I prefer weight lifting these days), I go for swimming. I have no problem swimming 20 or 40 or 60 laps in the same pool at a pace I can survive. I also like hiking. But running, with constantly being exhausted at even a supposedly low speed, usually just frustrates me. Now that I can actually run for a few kilometers without needing a walking break, there have been a few nice runs, but it's still a lot of mental work for me to not do walking breaks.
Anyway, so the race yesterday was the last in a series of "night races". The first (children's 600 meters) started at 19:30, the last at 22:15. That's pretty close to my usual bedtime and at around 19:00 I started actually getting tired, so I lay down for a bit at home (the start is a 7 minutes walk from my home), but couldn't sleep because I was also nervous.
I have no idea whether what I did with regards to hydration and nutrition before the race made any sense. I am usually dehydrated because my body does not believe in that feeling other people call 'thirst', so I made sure to drink more then usually over the day, had my last big meal 4 hours before the start and some fruit and yogurt two hours before the race.
At around 18:00, there was a huge thunderstorm going down, but it cleared up before the first race started. It was pretty warm that day (spiking at 28°C), but because my race would start after sunset, I was unsure of what to wear. I decided on a sleeveless top and 3/4 trousers in the end, and I think that wasn't so bad a choice. Maybe a bit too warm, but when I finished the temperature outside was only 18°C or so. At the start it was maybe 20°C.
Anyway, I met with two co-workers prior to the race and they took me to the starting line. And went pretty much to the front. I should have known better and just said that I would start in the back *sighs*
My goal, by the way, was mostly just finishing. Preferably witjout walking breaks. My "ow" goal was finishing in under 45 minutes.
I didn't really like the crowded starting line experience. But then the gun sounded and off we finally went. According to my time, I ran over the starting line only 20 seconds after the gun went off. So yeah, very much started in the front.
Which was bad, bad, bad, and I knew it. People were passing me left and right and even despite that, I was running way too fast. Instead of the 7 minutes/K I had planned, for the first 2 kilometers, I was running more like 6 minutes/K. I knew I had to run slower or I would burn but in such a crowd, even trying to run slower just made me go down to 6:30 or so. Also, my heart rate monitor wasn't working, so I couldn't run according to that and it was getting dark fast, so just reading my pace was difficult.
The race was two laps through the inner city and by the time I finished the first lap in about 20 minutes (I think) I was so completely wiped... Also, I usually run on trails and this race was alternating concrete and cobblestones. Not such a nice surface for me.
So, being completely wiped, I actually had no chance but to run/walk the last lap. Which really wasn't a nice experience because so many people were still passing me and also because there was a lot of audience and I did not find their comments encouraging at all. In fact, the audience rather annoyed me and all of those sounds etc. made me have trouble finding my rhythm.
By the end, at least, there were also other people walking/running and at a similar pace as me. Somehow, my Garmin and the official race thingy disagreed on how long the track really was and when I thought I still had one kilometer to go, I actually saw the last corner before the finish appear, so that was only about 500 meters to go. I ran again and entered the finishing stretch and on the last few meters actually overtook one person.
The clock over the finish line was showing something like "41:50" when I looked, as was my Garmin, but I didn't really believe that. But yes, I finished in 41:44. 264th out of 284 women, 79th out of 83 in my age group (20- 29)
There were two races starting at that time, by the way. Apart from the 6.2K, other runners were doing 12.4K, so by the time I was finishing, there were still plenty of people running.
So, yeah, I finished. I felt accomplished and I still do, but I am now almost sure racing isn't for me. Running is an okay sport, but I didn't really like the race experience, with the crowded start and having others run beside me, overtaking me or me having to overtake them and the audience watching me. So I am not sure I will run another race after this.
Still, it was a good experience to have.
Now, what you need to understand is that I don't like running. At least, not a lot and certainly not all the time. If I have to do cardio (and I prefer weight lifting these days), I go for swimming. I have no problem swimming 20 or 40 or 60 laps in the same pool at a pace I can survive. I also like hiking. But running, with constantly being exhausted at even a supposedly low speed, usually just frustrates me. Now that I can actually run for a few kilometers without needing a walking break, there have been a few nice runs, but it's still a lot of mental work for me to not do walking breaks.
Anyway, so the race yesterday was the last in a series of "night races". The first (children's 600 meters) started at 19:30, the last at 22:15. That's pretty close to my usual bedtime and at around 19:00 I started actually getting tired, so I lay down for a bit at home (the start is a 7 minutes walk from my home), but couldn't sleep because I was also nervous.
I have no idea whether what I did with regards to hydration and nutrition before the race made any sense. I am usually dehydrated because my body does not believe in that feeling other people call 'thirst', so I made sure to drink more then usually over the day, had my last big meal 4 hours before the start and some fruit and yogurt two hours before the race.
At around 18:00, there was a huge thunderstorm going down, but it cleared up before the first race started. It was pretty warm that day (spiking at 28°C), but because my race would start after sunset, I was unsure of what to wear. I decided on a sleeveless top and 3/4 trousers in the end, and I think that wasn't so bad a choice. Maybe a bit too warm, but when I finished the temperature outside was only 18°C or so. At the start it was maybe 20°C.
Anyway, I met with two co-workers prior to the race and they took me to the starting line. And went pretty much to the front. I should have known better and just said that I would start in the back *sighs*
My goal, by the way, was mostly just finishing. Preferably witjout walking breaks. My "ow" goal was finishing in under 45 minutes.
I didn't really like the crowded starting line experience. But then the gun sounded and off we finally went. According to my time, I ran over the starting line only 20 seconds after the gun went off. So yeah, very much started in the front.
Which was bad, bad, bad, and I knew it. People were passing me left and right and even despite that, I was running way too fast. Instead of the 7 minutes/K I had planned, for the first 2 kilometers, I was running more like 6 minutes/K. I knew I had to run slower or I would burn but in such a crowd, even trying to run slower just made me go down to 6:30 or so. Also, my heart rate monitor wasn't working, so I couldn't run according to that and it was getting dark fast, so just reading my pace was difficult.
The race was two laps through the inner city and by the time I finished the first lap in about 20 minutes (I think) I was so completely wiped... Also, I usually run on trails and this race was alternating concrete and cobblestones. Not such a nice surface for me.
So, being completely wiped, I actually had no chance but to run/walk the last lap. Which really wasn't a nice experience because so many people were still passing me and also because there was a lot of audience and I did not find their comments encouraging at all. In fact, the audience rather annoyed me and all of those sounds etc. made me have trouble finding my rhythm.
By the end, at least, there were also other people walking/running and at a similar pace as me. Somehow, my Garmin and the official race thingy disagreed on how long the track really was and when I thought I still had one kilometer to go, I actually saw the last corner before the finish appear, so that was only about 500 meters to go. I ran again and entered the finishing stretch and on the last few meters actually overtook one person.
The clock over the finish line was showing something like "41:50" when I looked, as was my Garmin, but I didn't really believe that. But yes, I finished in 41:44. 264th out of 284 women, 79th out of 83 in my age group (20- 29)
There were two races starting at that time, by the way. Apart from the 6.2K, other runners were doing 12.4K, so by the time I was finishing, there were still plenty of people running.
So, yeah, I finished. I felt accomplished and I still do, but I am now almost sure racing isn't for me. Running is an okay sport, but I didn't really like the race experience, with the crowded start and having others run beside me, overtaking me or me having to overtake them and the audience watching me. So I am not sure I will run another race after this.
Still, it was a good experience to have.
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I actually have mostly enjoyed my running since I could run without stopping (hasn't been that long) and I do enjoy competing with myself, in the sense of going faster or longer than the last time. I won't be training for a marathon anytime soon (no, really, I promise :)), but anything around one hour starting to sound like... fun? It's certainly a nice time for thinking and being alone, just like swimming.
Gah, I was mostly being completely negative after that race. I would certainly write that report differently today, after some reflection. And after a nice run yesterday :)
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