It was a little over a week ago that I ran my first run race, The Hot
Chocolate 15k! It was overall an excellent experience and can't wait for the next race. I finished with a time
of 1:08.59, which was around the time I thought I would be at. The final
results with all the time corrections from competitors, I placed 114/4062 15k runners,
13/112 in my Age Group (25-29) and 86th out of all male 15k runners.
How can one not be happy with those results on their first run race!
My emotions before the race were crazy! First of all when I looked at my
race bib I saw that I was in group F. I thought to myself okay awesome no pressure, I’m not getting sent off
with the fastest runners being that there is group A-E still. Boy, was I wrong!
Groups A-E were for 5k runners and Group F consisted of the fastest seeded 15k
runners… my mindset was a bit shaky at first then I reminded myself that this
is where I belong, with the best of the best where I belong. With
all the positive affirmation going through my head, my mindset for the race went straight to focus and had my game face on. As I looked around though it seemed that I
really didn’t look like I belonged in this group, wearing a light running
jacket, a thick shirt, my MMA training shorts, as they are the lightest I have, a hat and
sunglasses. Yet everyone in my group had their calf compressions, light
breathable running shirts from previous marathon races and running short shorts…. I
literally looked like I was just going out for a jog in the city! Mindset back on haywire…
It took only a few seconds to get back on track, put my race blinders on and
focused on MY race. As soon as the gun went off I felt that rush of
adrenaline take me back to the days I used to competitively swim. I haven’t
been grouped with elite athletes in a long time and it felt just right racing among
great runners. I ran my race, I got under my goal time and finished really well
for my first run. What an amazing experience!
One of the biggest things to take away from my race is to always
put yourself in the right mindset. There is always going to be things trying to
break you down even before the race may start but its good to remember to just
run your own race. People will look a certain way and you may get intimidated. Don’t worry about anyone or anything; don’t focus on the “looks” or what "seems" to be right because
you never know how the race will pan out. Focus on yourself, as all your training up to that point has gotten you ready for that moment. You are the only person that can
control your mindset in any situation; the option to fail or succeed is your
choice!
Visualize the Goal, Embrace the Path, Conquer the Struggle
