my first 5K

today i ran my first 5K. it was the iwalk/run at apple. it was fun, and hard work. i was disappointed by the results.

i had to walk twice during the run, which made me upset. i know it is silly to say that, but i am competitive, especially with myself. i finished with a time of 34'42", which was not my best at all. however, i know that i wasn't the last runner.

this was just a fun run, so there were no prizes for the fastest runners, which was cool. the freakin' heat was not cool. the run started a little after noon, which is not the optimal time for me to run. i like to run in the mornings or later afternoons, when it is cooler out. i am not sure when i will be able to run once we move to san jose, where it is hotter than it is here in mountain view.

besides the heat, i had side stitches on both sides. usually when i run, i get a right side stitch. today, i had it on both sides, but the left side was bothering me more. i tried to concentrate on my breathing, and did have to walk a bit. however, i had the stitches almost the entire time.

i think that i started out too fast. being the competitive person that i am, i think when i saw people take off from the starting line, i tried to keep up rather than pace myself like i do when i run outside alone. my bad; i got carried away in the moment the bell went off to start running. i know that i started out at about a 7.5 minute pace, which is pretty fast for me. oh well, i will live and learn for next time.

the best thing about this race: i beat my old record for my personal best mile. before it was 8'10". today, i ran a 8'07" mile. i am happy about that. i just need to work on keeping my side stitches under control and keeping my pace more even.

more running tomorrow!