Running Firsts

My very first race was a little local 5K put on by the law enforcement agency that I work for.  It was the first year that it was run.  It didn’t even have an official name that first year for it.  We just called it the “anti-bully run.”  The second year is when it had an official name: the Stand Up 5K.  It benefits the local Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and raises money for programs to help deter and prevent bullying. 

I started running in October 2012.  This race took place March 30, 2013.  I ran on the treadmill until January 2013 until I could run 3 miles without feeling the need to stop and do a walk interval.  I ran the 5K in 33:31.  I had a great time.  I ran with a bunch of work friends (as I said, this race is put on by the agency I work for, so there was quite a few people from where I work running it).  Since it was my very first race, I was completely oblivious to the fact that there were age group awards, so I didn’t hang around long after the race was over.  Even though it was a very small race, I’m pretty sure I didn’t win an award. (you can read about it here)

My first 10K was just a couple weeks later.  I ran the Capital 10K in Austin, TX.  This is the biggest 10K in Texas and in the top ten 10Ks in the entire United States.  It’s been happening for almost 40 years, so it’s also one of the oldest/longest running 10Ks.  I ran it in 1:06:53.  It’s a fairly hilly course and it was challenging, but it was a really great race.  I’ve now done this race 3 times and I fully intend to run it every year forever.  I ran the Schlotzsky’s Bun Run 10K later the same month and got my first new PR and ran it in 1:02:48.  That 10K PR stood until just recently when I ran the same course as the Bun Run under its new name of the Sunshine Run (the Bun Run moved to a different location and time of the year, and became just a 5K).

My first half marathon was later in the same year.  I ran the San Antonio Rock’n’Roll half marathon.  The thing that stands out most when I think about this race is that I had a friend attempt suicide a few months before and I didn’t deal with it very well AT ALL and ended up completely stopping running for the 6 weeks leading up to this race.  This race HURT.  By the end of the race, I got passed while I was “running” by a lady that was speed walking.  I struggled with getting myself going again with running until about a month and a half after this race when I finally started running regularly again (on Christmas!  Merry Christmas to me!).

My first marathon was a little over a year after my first half marathon.  It was the Dallas Marathon in Dallas, TX.  Unlike my first half marathon, I was fully prepared for my first full marathon.  I had a great time running this race and seeing just what my body is capable of.  I got to lay all my anxieties about running such a long distance by the road side as I ran.  My longest training run was 22 miles.  When I passed the 22 mile mark, I was in complete amazement because every single step beyond that point was the longest I had ever run.

I will [hopefully] add an ultra-marathon to my list of firsts in a few months!  So stay tuned!

So, what was your first race?  Your first half?  First full?  Tell me about it!