Lessons From My First Race

Posted by: Katie on: August 20, 2011

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Last weekend I ran my first official race. I’m glad I had the opportunity to run my first 10K close to home. I am also glad to have just had the opportunity to experience, albeit on a smaller scale, running a competitive race.

First, I learned that I have to ditch the iPhone. I thought it would be handy to have my music and time/distance keeper all in one place. But not really. Trying to get the thing in and out of my fanny pack was a hassle – I didn’t even bother. So I didn’t keep track of my pace the entire race – I never even started it. I did have the music though- which was a useful distraction, but it leads me to my next lesson.

Second, I have horrible ear buds. When I started running I went out and bought ear buds that said “sport” on them thinking that would mean they would be good for sports… wrong! They were also the cheapest ones available. So I spent the entire time pushing them back on my head, annoying!

Third, not everyone knows running etiquette. While I have been reading Runner’s World articles about the rules of the road, others must have been reading the national enquirer instead. There was a bit of trail hogging and some near collisions on the course. I know this won’t be a problem at the marathon, but I found it interesting that some common courtesy went out the window. A nice “on the left” would suffice when passing someone on the left. Just sayin.

Fourth, I got a little burst of energy at the end. A “kick” of sorts. I felt like my heart was going to pound out of my chest as I got a little extra adrenaline for that last length of the course. I was even passing people! That was fun.

Fifth, Even though I thought it didn’t matter to me, I did care about my finishing time and place. I have to say I was a little disappointed that I finished in the back third of the racers. Granted, I didn’t have a way to keep track of my pace (lesson #1) and I really wasn’t trying to break any PR or anything (this was my FIRST race).

These lessons taken to heart, I can do something about most of them. I am thinking about getting a Garmin watch and maybe an iPod nano. Less to mess with and easier access. Though I don’t know how I will feel about having something on my wrist collecting sweat. I’m also looking for the best running ear buds. No more 10$ buds for me! And as for the time thing, I have a PR now, something to work with. These little lessons from my first race made every inch of that 6.2 miles worth it. And best of all, I have my first bib for my new collection of race bibs.

Tags: 10K, Lessons Learned, Race, training