My first race is Sunday!

[5t3ph4n13]

I am so EXCITED!! And nervous!! And EXCITED!!

I am running my first race ever Sunday- The San Francisco Chinatown Y Chinese New Year 10k. Lots of people will be dressing up as dragons but I didn't find a running-friendly costume on time. I started running in VFF Sprints in the middle of last March and started transitioning to barefoot in late Summer. I completely ditched the shoes in November so I will be running this race skin-to-ground. 8)

I am nervous about what to eat the night before, what to eat the morning of, whether to take water at stations because I never take water on runs up to 8 miles, whether they will have enough safety pins for bibs, what the street/surface I will be running on will be like, whether I can maintain my own pace with people running all around me.... So much to think about! Of course I will try to relax on race day and just have fun; but as much as I try to keep in mind that this is my first race and to just have enjoy the experience, of course I want to PR.


I'll be sure to post a race report Sunday or Monday .

 

[Barefoot Dama]

Great! don't worry about

Great! don't worry about anything and just go outhere and have fun-lots of it!

As far as food goes, just eat what you normaly do.

It's only a 10k and you'll be fine.

You can run the while thing without water/food.

Don't forget to pace yourself and don't worry if people passes you what it's important is that you finished the race unhurt.

Good luck!

 

[NickW]

I second Damas comments.  I

I second Damas comments. I have a hard time pacing myself when I get into a race. I don't know what it is but seeing all those runners just brings out the compettitiveness in me. I always seem to run much faster than planned. Good luck and remember to run at your pace and not others.

 

[JosephTree]

Ya, if you're lucky you'll

Ya, if you're lucky you'll relax a bit by race time, but that's OK even if you don't. You'll be chalking it all up to experience anyway, so just do your best to stay aware of what you're feeling and enjoy the ride.

If you can manage to control your pace, a goal I've found useful is to try to start out a bit slower than I would usually feel the urge to and then to let my strength, or lack thereof, guide how my finish goes. It's a wonderful boost to have the juice to pass people late in a race.

You will do fine! Just fine!

 

[paintboy]

I remember my first race. The

I remember my first race. The lesson I learned was a bit of race etiquette. Unless you know that you are hella fast (6 min pace or less) don't line up on the start line.

 

[pilotrunner]

Wow, first of all, take a

Wow, first of all, take a good deep breath... You sound so high strung you're about to pop!

Don't do or eat anything out of your normal routine. Run with a great big smile and engage with everyone who speaks to you. Don't worry about time or pace, just finish safely. You'll have plenty of other races ahead. Write a race report and post it on this website with pics if you can.

Most of all...

HAVE FUN!

 

[rickwhitelaw]

Have fun, have fun, and have

Have fun, have fun, and have fun. Races are great, but often make you push the pace a little. I love 10k's. Perfect distance to not have to worry about aid stations and fueling, but long enough for a good run.

 

[buzgal]

If it is your first race, you

If it is your first race, you will automatically get a PR! So you can relax about that!! I too get nervous before races....but as soon as I cross the finish line and I am already thinking about what race to do next.



Have fun!!

Sarah

 

[5t3ph4n13]

Ha, well I meant PR for the

Ha, well I meant PR for the distance but you're right!

 

[5t3ph4n13]

Well, I finished!  Not nearly

Well, I finished! Not nearly the time I was hoping for (1:01:11) but not bad for being up every 20 minutes last night with a sick 2 year old. Will write a race report and post it later.

 

[buzgal]

That's fantastic!! I did my

That's fantastic!! I did my first 19k trail run on virtually no sleep due to sick kidlets as well.



Looking forward to hearing more details about your race!

Sarah

 

[dutchie53]

Congrats on your first race.

Congrats on your first race. Not a bad time either, now in the future you will have a PR to beat.

 

[DNEchris]

Congratulations!  How were

Congratulations!

How were the nerves?

Are you still smiling?

 

[5t3ph4n13]

No nerves, actually. I didn't

No nerves, actually. I didn't expect so many people to talk to me about barefoot running. Mostly nice but it was kind of exhausting- I'll write more in the race report. I didn't stay for the award ceremony (which was a bummer because there were costume awards!) because I had to run home to my sick toddler. I DID learn that apparently the sidewalks around my neighborhood are made of silken pillows because the chip and seal in downtown SF made my feet a little tender.

 

[Barefoot Dama]

Congrats! looking forward to a RR.

 

[5t3ph4n13]

Race report up in the Races and Events forum!

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Yeah! I'm going to try to get it on the home page soon too. Thanks for sharing. And, although I haven't read it yet, CONGRATS!

 

[NotSoDoomedRunner]

Awesome! Lots of people look for excuses like kids waking them up to not do things and you got out there. Good job!