In 2009 I became a runner. Despite never having run before, I began in May thanks to Kristen and the Shredheads – since then I’ve run 440 miles (yes I keep track). While I now “enjoy” running for the heck of it, it’s easier to stay motivated when I have a race coming up.
So when a friend (the same one with whom I ran my first race ever) said she was doing a 10K in December, I jumped on board. We signed up for the Jingle All the Way 10K, billed as an easy course that would be good for setting a personal record.
Race day, 33 degrees and rainy. Somewhere around 4,000 people showed up for the race…so it was CROWDED. By the time we got done using the portapotties, the race was about to start. We were walking toward the start line when we saw people begin running, and it was about 3 minutes after the race started that we finally made it across the start line (thank goodness for chip timing). Unfortunately, we were still in a solid mass of humanity…I could have picked up my feet and been carried along.
Anyhow, it was completely packed until just after the turnaround. I did my best weaving around people, and even ran on the grass for some decent stretches, but there were times I just couldn’t get around. Of course that doesn’t just mess up my time, but it messes up my rhythm and pisses me off as well. GET OUT OF MY WAY, IDIOTS!
I started to feel pretty tired around mile 4…fortunately there were lots of beautiful women doing the race, and I didn’t want to look like a wimp in front of them. So I kept running. By about mile 5 I felt like I might set a personal record, so that kept me going. In fact, I was sure I was going to beat my previous time by about a minute! I cruised through the finish line and felt good, so I ran back until I met up with my friend so I could run with her to the finish line as well. We met up with her family and walked back to the metro, stopping in front of the Lincoln Memorial for a quick picture with the Washington Monument in the background. It was ridiculously cold and rainy by the end, but it was fun to have a sixth race done in my first year.

Wow, my jacket sure is bright!
Oh yeah, so my beating my previous time by a minute? I had remembered my previous time incorrectly and ended up missing a personal record by 5 seconds. FIVE LOUSY SECONDS. DAMN!
Anyway, to recap the year here are my race results…not bad for someone who’s NEVER run before May 1st!
06-20-2009: Run for the Rainforest 5K: 28:48 (9:16 min/mile)
09-26-2009: Clarendon Day Run 10K: 55:11 (8:53 min/mile)
11-01-2009: Race for a Cause 8K: 43:23 (8:44 min/mile)
11-08-2009: Race Against the Odds 5K, 25:32 (8:13 min/mile)
11-26-2009: Arlington Turkey Trot 5K:, 25:33 (8:13 min/mile)
12-13-2009: Jingle All the Way 10K, 55:16 (8:54 min/mile)