Dear Blog-ary: I did it! My 1st Ever 5K Fun Run!

To avoid disappointment, I had prepared myself to expect the worst kind of weather for Sunday mornings 5K Salmon Run. When I awoke to find a downpour, it was of little consequence to me.  As I prepared my pre-race breakfast of steel cut oats, apples and almond milk, I began to feel a nervous excitement. I was about to participate in my first race ever! I wasn’t about to let rain stop me from enjoying every part of this experience.

I arrived at the gate house of the Goldstream Provincial Park Campground around 9:30am and was relieved to see that I was not the only one willing to ignore the rain. There were clusters of eager participants, huddling under tarps and overhangs, lining up for their numbers and trying to keep warm. I spotted a familiar face in the crowd. Ron, Loreli’s husband, led me to the registration window where I collected my number.

Because of the weather, we changed our plan of having a good warm up. It seemed wiser to try to stay as warm and dry as possible before the race. As they called for the runners to the starting line, we chose to gather near the middle of the pack to allow ourselves to set a good and realistic pace. I didn’t want to feel pressured by the faster runners to sprint at the start, and burn out half way through. As the race began Sarah stayed right with me and helped me hold my own. Her encouragement and gentle reminders of what I had practiced in training helped me to focus and think positively throughout the race. Near the end, Loreli met us and sprinted ahead, helping to give me that final push to finish strong.

Crossing the finishing line I felt so strong and proud! “I did it! I actually did it!” I was still standing, and smiling. I couldn’t believe it was over. “Did I push hard enough? Should I have gone faster?”, I thought. Then I remembered that todays race was about getting a feel for what it was like to be in a race. To practice techniques Loreli had been teaching us. Finding my pace and staying strong was my goal. Hopefully by the time I get to the Bear Mountain 10K, or any other race,  I will know my own abilities and what to expect much better. I will be able to push harder and set new goals for myself.

More than anything I have taken out of Sunday’s race, I feel so fortunate to have been surrounded by the strong and positive women who were a part of our Alter Ego gathering that morning. They are a constant encouragement and source of inspiration to me. I had a blast and I couldn’t have done it without them!  .  .  . Kirsten Wolf