Thoughts On My First 5k Race

5k Runners!

Today I reached a milestone.

I've been running since mid-March, in the process dropping 30 pounds and feeling better physically than I have in decades. As I've recounted in a previous post and countless conversations with friends, family and co-workers, it started with simply trying to "take the edge" off my new puppy so he would stop terrorizing my wife's Shar-Pei. It quickly morphed into serious bonding time between Zeus and I, and a means for us to get out in the mornings, spend time together, and get some exercise.

Somewhere along the way, I became serious about running, about becoming a better runner. I began to read running publications and blogs, I created a Twitter account with the sole purpose (in the beginning, at least) of connecting with fellow runners across the country as a means of gaining some inspiration, and I used a phone app to track my runs.

In the past, the kids and I have done the St. John's Tulsa Zoo 1-mile Fun Run - the kids because they enjoyed being able to run past all the animals at the zoo, and me because of the awesome post-race spread.

This year would be different, though. Last school year, then-nine-year-old Ian made it clear that he wanted to start running 5k races. He actually ran a couple of them last year as an unregistered 5k'er - we'd signed him up for the 1-mile or 1k fun run, and if he was done with that before the 5k started, he'd run that as well. This year, however, we both registered for the 5k run as legitimate participants.

And so we arrived at the Tulsa Zoo at 7:20am on this cold Saturday morning. When I awoke at 5am, TWC gleefully informed me that it was 41 degrees. The temperature would top out this day at 54, which it hit when I teed off for a charity golf tournament later that day. However, the entire 2 1/2 hours we were on the zoo grounds we never sniffed 50 degrees.



Ian and Nick with one of the many zoo mascots
in attendance at the pre-race rally.

Ian and I excitedly got our chips and fastened them to our shoes. We then rejoined the rest of the family for the traditional pre-race rally, this year hosted by Dave and Lisa from one of the local pop radio stations. We jogged in place, stretched and danced silly dances to Gangham Style, all the while trying to stay warm.

After the rally, Ian and I walked Bonnie, Brooklyn and Nick over to the 1-mile Fun Run Starting line where they got to partake in another warm up/rally, dancing to the hokey pokey and generally being silly. After a few minutes, Ian and I began the trek back out of the zoo towards the starting line for the 5k.

Mohawk Park is a decent sized park, and it took us a few minutes to get over there. We quickly found an open space about halfway back from the starting line amidst the sea of over 750 other runners. As this was my first race, and I'd never run with Ian in a race so didn't know what to expect from him, I was reluctant to get too close to the starting line this first time.

In the sea of people - silly faces free of
charge. You have to catch him off guard
if you want to see a normal smile...

We were joined by one of his friends from school, and then it was just a matter of waiting for the gun. Once it went off, we began the slow walk to the starting line, and then once we crossed the blue timing pad, the three of us began to run.

The boys peeled off onto the grass along the side of the road, and I kept back a little so I could both keep my eyes on them and make sure I didn't run into anyone in front of me. My immediate impression was that there were a lot of people in that first half kilometer that really weren't prepared for this. As a new runner running my first race, I'd spent the previous week making sure I was ready - I'd run a complete wire-to-wire-with-no-stopping-to-tie-my-shoes-because-I'm-winded 5k every morning for the four mornings preceding the race, so I was reasonably certain I wouldn't embarrass myself.

Here are my click-by-click thoughts on my first timed 5k race:

First kilometer - wow, I did not anticipate the crowd! I ran a full minute slower pace than I was used to, in part because I was busy navigating the crowd and in part because I was hanging back watching the boys. This was the coldest temperature I'd ever run in, it was taking me a little longer than normal to warm up. Also, my first run ever, for any distance, without Zeus attached to my left arm, so having the full use of both arms and hands (no leash, not carrying plastic bags to clean up accidents, etc.) took a little getting used to.

Second kilometer - the boys are now playing a little bit, jumping up to grab tree limbs, pushing each other and joking around, and just being little boys. I decide to leave them behind. ;-)  Quickly hit my accustomed stride - about 5.5 clicks per minute. Starting to warm up, glad I had decided against thermals or compression pants beneath my sweat pants.

Third kilometer - finally able to mentally relax and enjoy the run. Beautiful scenery running through the north part of Mohawk Park - lots of trees, the crowds have thinned, and I've fallen in with a group of runners keeping a good pace. This is where I made my only real mistake of the day. When I hit the first water station, I grabbed a glass of water and tried to drink it while I was still running. If it were 100 degrees like it was all summer, the water running down my face and chest would have been refreshing; in the forty degree cold, it was...uncomfortable. Not wanting to stop, I passed the subsequent water stations without drinking.

Fourth kilometer - apparently not satisfied that I was running in the cold with a wet face and chest, someone (or was it Someone?) called for rain and sleet. At first I wasn't sure what it was pelting me - fat raindrops? No, the tiny ice pellets bouncing off the pavement in front of me signaled clearly that our resolve was going to be a little more severely tested than that. Of course, I'm exaggerating - it wasn't all that bad. But it'll make for a great story in a few years - "In MY first race, I ran through bitter cold, rain AND sleet..."

Fifth kilometer - the first real uphill of the entire race, and it was hidden. I turned a corner on the back side of the zoo, and BAM there it was - 100 yards if it was a foot. Head down, press on. And then we were in the zoo proper, the part of the zoo that I recognized - past the petting zoo, past the snack bar...at this point, you could start to hear the crowd cheering at the finish line. It was a sudden infusion of adrenaline, and it caused me to run my best kilometer of the day, despite the nasty uphill segment - I finished with a 4:58 kilometer on this last kilometer of the day.

I was nowhere near the overall lead - I finished 124th out of 287 men and 247th out of 762 runners overall - but I was less than three minutes behind the third place finisher in my 45-49 age group, and therefore less than three minutes short of medaling in my first race. I placed eighth in my age bracket, and left me thinking "what if...?" What if I'd started closer to the start line? What if I had lagged back with the boys during that first kilometer? Ah well, there's always another race...actually two more this month.

And besides, medaling was never the goal. I met, and exceeded, my goal - to complete my first 5k race with my head held high.