Gobble, gobble!
Berbee Derby came and went and I did it. I have to admit, having been my first race ever, my main and sole objective was to finish. Perhaps, I should have had higher standards for myself, but even in running a 10K I was afraid of failure. I was afraid to set a time for myself and fail, so I made it easy for myself. Having said that, I did have a kick-ass time and I'm very proud of having done the whole thing. The day was beautiful: few clouds in the blue sky and the sun was out cheering us on. It was an activity that I never thought I would ever be a part of and am glad to have it in my bag of experiences.
So, things I learned from the Berbee Derby:
1. Never underestimate the presence of friends at the finish line: When I signed up for the race, I figured I would borrow someone's car and drive myself to the race. A 9 a.m. race is a shitting thing to do to friends who would otherwise be enjoying a lazy day of T.V. marathons or preparing for the night's dinner. But, being the sweet friends that they are, Liz and Sunshine, offered to go and cheer me on. It was quite lovely. I spent most of the time in my own world of nervousness, hard-of-hearing-ness, and excitement. But, they were there to help tie my timer to my shoelace, pin my number to my hoodie and figure out where I needed to go. Most importantly, though, it was their cheery faces that motivated me to run up the last hill. I knew that down the bend, they would be there somewhere in the crowd, and I made sure to stride to the finish line in style. :o)
2. Don't get discouraged when people pass you by: I made the mistake of placing myself in the middle of the starting line because I didn't want to grab much attention at either the front of the line or the back of it. However, since I'm a pretty slow runner, soon after the race started people were zooming by. I did want to elbow someone but I was nice and didn't. I also soon realized that everyone has their own personal objectives, competitive and training levels, and all you can do is enjoy the race and do your best.
3. I really don't like people: One of the main things that I enjoy about running is the solitude. I love being by myself, organizing my thoughts and doing a little bit of reflecting on life and soothing my soul. Therefore, being with about 1,200 people and hearing their voices and chatter was not all that fun or soothing. Luckily, as people passed me, I got to enjoy moments of solitude and quiet. The sun's warmth was all the company I needed.
4. Good sleep is essential for a good race: I was naughty the whole 5 days leading up to the race. I partied the whole weekend and stayed up too late during the week, and the night before I watched the Real Housewives of Atlanta till midnight. I regret not taking care of myself prior to the race, but I don't regret having gone out during the weekend or having watched the Housewives Reunion show....good stuff!! This is what life is made of!!
5. Having a motivating slogan is important: Towards the end of the race, when I could feel the soreness of my toes against my socks, the image of eating thanksgiving dinner, drinking Oscura beer, and having pumpkin pie motivated me to keep going. However, all I could articulate in my excitement and fatigue was "gobble, gobble." I must have looked and sounded like a crazy woman to those around me and to the official motivators stationed at every mile, but "gobble, gobble" worked like magic to keep my feet moving forward.
6.. I have a ton of work yet to do for the marathon: So out of 1279 people, I was ranked #1241. :o) My time for the 10K was 1:11:03, and my pace is 1 mile at 11 minutes and 26 seconds. I did half the race in 33 minutes, so I really slowed down at the end. Oh, well. "A" for effort on this one. Now it's time to bump up the training and buckle down. Good times, good times...
So, things I learned from the Berbee Derby:
1. Never underestimate the presence of friends at the finish line: When I signed up for the race, I figured I would borrow someone's car and drive myself to the race. A 9 a.m. race is a shitting thing to do to friends who would otherwise be enjoying a lazy day of T.V. marathons or preparing for the night's dinner. But, being the sweet friends that they are, Liz and Sunshine, offered to go and cheer me on. It was quite lovely. I spent most of the time in my own world of nervousness, hard-of-hearing-ness, and excitement. But, they were there to help tie my timer to my shoelace, pin my number to my hoodie and figure out where I needed to go. Most importantly, though, it was their cheery faces that motivated me to run up the last hill. I knew that down the bend, they would be there somewhere in the crowd, and I made sure to stride to the finish line in style. :o)
2. Don't get discouraged when people pass you by: I made the mistake of placing myself in the middle of the starting line because I didn't want to grab much attention at either the front of the line or the back of it. However, since I'm a pretty slow runner, soon after the race started people were zooming by. I did want to elbow someone but I was nice and didn't. I also soon realized that everyone has their own personal objectives, competitive and training levels, and all you can do is enjoy the race and do your best.
3. I really don't like people: One of the main things that I enjoy about running is the solitude. I love being by myself, organizing my thoughts and doing a little bit of reflecting on life and soothing my soul. Therefore, being with about 1,200 people and hearing their voices and chatter was not all that fun or soothing. Luckily, as people passed me, I got to enjoy moments of solitude and quiet. The sun's warmth was all the company I needed.
4. Good sleep is essential for a good race: I was naughty the whole 5 days leading up to the race. I partied the whole weekend and stayed up too late during the week, and the night before I watched the Real Housewives of Atlanta till midnight. I regret not taking care of myself prior to the race, but I don't regret having gone out during the weekend or having watched the Housewives Reunion show....good stuff!! This is what life is made of!!
5. Having a motivating slogan is important: Towards the end of the race, when I could feel the soreness of my toes against my socks, the image of eating thanksgiving dinner, drinking Oscura beer, and having pumpkin pie motivated me to keep going. However, all I could articulate in my excitement and fatigue was "gobble, gobble." I must have looked and sounded like a crazy woman to those around me and to the official motivators stationed at every mile, but "gobble, gobble" worked like magic to keep my feet moving forward.
6.. I have a ton of work yet to do for the marathon: So out of 1279 people, I was ranked #1241. :o) My time for the 10K was 1:11:03, and my pace is 1 mile at 11 minutes and 26 seconds. I did half the race in 33 minutes, so I really slowed down at the end. Oh, well. "A" for effort on this one. Now it's time to bump up the training and buckle down. Good times, good times...