Here’s mine:
I don’t think I had ever run that fast before in my life. It was Christmastime and all the runners were given jingle bells. At the time, I was still a beginner and I was used to stopping frequently throughout my runs. So I’m jogging, lots of people passing me, I’m also passing others. It’s pretty cool. Then a kid passes me. Then another. And some more.
That’s cool too, I expected that. There are bound to be elementary school children faster than I am. What I didn’t anticipate was how many would keep pace with me.
I was tired and wanted to stop running. Then I looked down to find myself adrift in a sea of babies. I remember kids falling during laps in my formative years. Stampedes! Pile-ups! Only disaster could follow my stopping. They’d trample me, they’d trip, and we’d all fall down. Other races would have to avoid a tumbleweed made of a 4th grade classroom and what they assumed was the teacher, all going jingle-jingle-jingle. I dare not trust the coordination of myself and these cookie-fueled chaos factories. I had to keep running!
Anyway, eventually they split away from me and the rest of the race is a blurry lung-burn-y memory. I got a cookie and a finisher though.
So, what’s your 1st race story?
I can’t remember my first race but I can remember my first marathon. I was supposed to be in Vancouver for the 2020 marathon, but that was cancelled for obvious reasons. So I decided to do it anyway, in my hometown, completely self supported.
I did not do enough long runs, I only had a few 15ks under my belt and a half marathon a few months before. Half a pack of Jaffa Cakes is not enough, but at least I had enough water.
I died horribly in the last 5k and basically walked that part of it.
Didn’t put me off though. I’ve got my first Ironman in September so hopefully I can pace that right 😅