I am still very pleased with myself though, especially seen as I went straight from a 12hr night shift to the race. My Mum came to meet me at work, and then we went for a McDonalds breakfast, probably not ideal pre-race food, but I needed something. We then met up with my friend and her sister, and headed to the start, which was at Glasgow green. We tried to get near to the front, but didn't manage that too well. There was a bit of waiting around, so plenty of time for a pre race selfie-
Now as this was my first race, I wasn't too sure what to wear. I decided on a long sleeved pink nike miler top, full length nike epic run tights, shock absorber run bra, and nike head band. However, on the day I panicked as it was a bit cold and threatening to rain, so wore my nike jacket too. As I had the jacket on, I took off my bum bag thingy, and just put my iPhone in my jacket pocket. These would later prove to be bad choices!
Slowly we got the the start line, and I started my garmin as we crossed the line. (Yeah, I got a garmin, and I love it). We started trying to weave around all the walkers, and straight away I had a bit of a panic, feeling like I needed to pee (I had just been), and that my trousers were falling down. Now I knew I wasn't going to be able to keep up with my friends, so told them to go ahead. I then slowed down, sorted out my trousers (tied them tight), and put my music on. That all made me feel much better, and I was able to run on for a good while. Before I knew it I was at the 1k marker. The markers were good, each one had a bagpiper standing under them, so you knew when you were approaching. (There had been lots of pipers at the start too).
One of the things I liked about the race was that there hadn't been an exact route map on the website, so I didn't know the whole route off by heart. This meant that each turn was a bit of a surprise, and gave me something to look at. My usual runs are on a couple of quite boring routes, so this was a nice change. I also really liked the race experience, with everyone else in the same boat. Now usually I don't like running in busy places, as I feel self conscious, and don't like people looking at me. I worried i'd hate the race, but actually I just felt proud, and enjoyed seeing all the other runners. I couldn't manage to run the whole race, but did a consistent run/walk, with only a minute of walking between running.
The route was a good one, starting off at Glasgow green, then alongside George Square, and then down Buchanan Street, one of the big shopping streets. It felt strange to run somewhere than I am usually shopping! It was then right along Argyle street, another shopping street, and another right onto the river side. At this point I was roasting, and regretting wearing the jacket. I decided to take it off, and tie it round my waist. This was fine, but the phone in the pocket was weighing it down, which meant annoying flapping about. It was then along the river side for a bit, across a bridge to the other side, and a good straight run along the south side of the river. Another bridge, back across the river to Glasgow Green, which was the home straight, There was a section with flags and a foam blower type thing, then a loop back round the the finish area. I didn't see my Mum at all along the route, but my friends were there cheering me as I finished. (It turned out the parents were waiting on the first bridge, but we'd passed that point long before).
I managed to rally myself and run all along the finish area, stopping after I crossed the line. I then stopped my Garmin, which I am now annoyed about, as it was reading a bit under, at 4.8K. It must have been the corners or something which made it read under. I know its stupid, but I wish that i'd left it running to 5k, so that my fastest ever 5k was recorded and put in the record section. Anyway, I know I did my fastest, which I am happy with, especially straight after night shift.
Red faced and happy!
At the end I got my medal, a pink bottle of water, and a chocolate brioche. I was so happy to have run my first race, and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I have learnt my lesson with the jacket though, as I had to hold the side with my phone in up over the last part, which was annoying. I'll definitely just use my bum bag next time. I am still looking for the ideal phone holder for running, so would appreciate any recommendations.
Overall, it was a great experience, and I raised £250 for Cancer Research UK!
Have you ever done Race for Life?
How do you carry your phone when running?
