My First Race

Today I ran my first race, the Worcester Firefighter Department's Memorial 6k. It commemorates the 6 firefighters who were killed in the Worcester Cold Storage fire of 1999. As you know, life gave my friend, Robbin, and I a bigger motivation for running this race. Our dear friend Doug passed away yesterday. So we dedicated our run to him today.

I was nervous, having never run a race before, and having only reached 3.5 miles in my weekly runs. Start time was at 1pm, which can be the worst time of day in June. I woke up to the sound of rain outside, which elicited a groan from my semi-comatose state. Luckily it had tapered off by the time I got up, and the sky remained clouded over.

I made myself 4 scrambled egg whites and 2 slices of nine-grain toast for breakfast. A green apple came with me for right beforehand. Sean and I headed over an hour and a half early so I could get registered. The park was packed already, and everywhere I looked I saw bib numbers. I didn't quite feel like I belonged as I pinned on my own.

Robbin arrived shortly after, she had preregistered on Friday. We wandered a bit more until they announced that runners should make their way to the starting line. It was only 12:20. However, I could see why they did it. Lines began to form outside of the port-a-johns. I had gone already, but by the time they finally had us all lined up, I probably could have gone again.

The opening ceremony was tough. Two fire ladders were extended over the starting line and a giant American flag hung between them. They had a moment of silence, followed by Amazing Grace, played on the bagpipes. Bagpipes always give me chills, they're beautiful, but my eyes began to well as I reflected on our recent loss. A quick glance at Robbin told me she was reacting the same way. As soon as the last note faded, we gave each other a big hug and waited for the starting horn.

The horn sounded, and I experienced my first pack start. It wasn't as bad as I expected. There weren't too many walkers in front of us, it was the faster runners who created some near stumbles trying to weave ahead. I was feeling good, passing others, and eventually ran on the sidewalk to avoid having to weave.

1 km popped up, then 1 mile. I was still feeling good. Soon after the 1 mile mark I looked up and saw my dad, mom, and Sean on the sidewalk. Their cheers gave me a nice boost and I soldiered on.

We rounded a corner and saw that we'd be doubling back at some point. We also caught a glimpse of the winner, who was rounding that return corner already! I think he wound up finishing in 16 minutes and change. Simply amazing.

I was hoping to go the full 3.7 miles without stopping, but I think I made the rookie mistake of starting too fast. After the second water stop, about halfway, I had to slow to a walk. This short breather would allow me to finish strong, and it did.

As I made my way up the final stretch, I searched for my parents and Sean, but they weren't there. Then I saw why...the digital clock as I ran up was ticking its way through the 36th minute. I had told them I'd likely take 45 minutes! My official time?

37:03!!!

I grabbed a water and waited to cheer Robbin in. It wasn't long until she arrived with a time of 40:14.

I'm officially hooked, and will be looking for another 5k to set as my next goal. Happy running!