Race Day!!

I ran my 5 mile race today, and I couldn't be more pleased with my time--somewhere around 45 mins. This may be slow to some of you guys, but for me it's great (considering a usually run a 10 min mile on a good day). Yay!

When I first got there (6:45 am), I was so nervous because all the other runners looked like "serious" runners. They were all wearing official running gear and doing special warm up drills. I just stood there and watched in my not-so-fancy shorts and t-shirt. I usually don't stretch until after a run, but this morning I felt out of the loop so I did some generic non-effective stretches.

The race was both a 5 mile and a 10 mile race and the organization putting it on was offering a big 1st place reward for both races--I didn't care about the money, I just wanted to finish the darn thing in what I think is a decent time (which I did...yay again!).

During the run I was getting excited because I was passing all these people who I thought looked like pretty speedy runners. But then I got worried because I thought I wasn't pacing myself...so you can imagine the thoughts and emotions I was experiencing! During the last mile and a half I started having sharp pains in my chest when I was inhaling, but I was determined to not slow down or stop. I am not sure what this was...anyone ever experience this sensation? Anyway I ran through it and made a strong finish :D! I have some pictures but I am waiting for them to be emailed to me...as soon as I get them I will post the pictures and my official time!

After the race I bought new running shoes--along with the Nike+ Sports Kit. It's a chip that goes in my shoe and it transfers data wirelessly to my iPod. Anyone ever use this or having any comments? I am pretty excited about being able to track my running progress!