Gasparilla 15k

Today was my first race of the year. I have been excited all week and woke up easily this morning at 5:30 to make sure we had plenty of time to get downtown. Today's race was 9.3 miles and I felt that I could do it in an hour and 30 minutes or so. I had been training with some friends, Pilar, Stephanie, and others and we had done that distance a few times and felt good about it.

I started running that distance kind of on accident. I had made it to 6 miles a few times and decided that I would do 7 one Saturday with Pilar and Rob. We made it to 7 and then decided to keep going for a while with Monica, one of our running buddies who was training for a marathon and wanted some company. By the time we decided we needed to go back, we were on the way to running around 9 or 10 miles! (We were on the trail so we were not sure of the exact mileage.) Knowing that I had done that amount convinced me to sign up for the 15k. The next couple of weeks we did even more and I am currently up to 12.5 miles and looking forward to being able to say that I can run a half-marathon even if it's not in a race.

When we arrived downtown this morning, I found Stephanie and we lined up together at the starting line. One of the higlights of the day was the opening ceremony. As usual, I stood in awe as our National Anthem was sung. The noisy crowd became absolutely silent as the words began. At a time when other countries are fighting for their freedom, it was amazing to see the runners put their hands on theirs hearts, remove their hats, and reflect on the flag and what it means. I thought of my family in Egypt and what they have just gone through and it made me appreciate even more the fact that I was born and raised in America. What a priviledge!

As I was running the race, I was thinking about many things. I was thinking about how slowly the miles were passing, how heavy my legs felt, and how crazy it was for me to try to run 26.2 miles when just 9.3 felt so aweful right now. (and that was all before mile 5) I have to keep telling myself that I have plenty of time to train and that my main goal is just to finish. I did not meet my time goal today, nor have I ever in a race, but in reality 1:37:30 (my unofficial time for now) is pretty good for me. The "what if's" and the "why's" will haunt me for days. What if I would have done my first mile slower? Would that have given me any more energy later on? Why do I seem to have less energy on race days though I do more to prepare for them? Is it more of a mental block or truly physical? And many others.

 For now, I will try to be proud of my accomplishment today and thank the Lord for the ability to run no matter how fast or slow.  I'll hang my medal on the dresser with last years as a reminder of the goal I just met. After all, that was my first race besides the 5k's and that feels pretty good.