I picked up the race kit (it happened to be at the same high school the race started at) the day before, anticipating a long line-up only to find no other runners. I got my bib, a T-shirt and many other small things. It didn't really hit me that I would be running a full 5km until the morning of.
I woke up early to eat breakfast in order to be in running condition for 10am. I worked on homework and then changed into my running gear: leggings, long sleeve cotton shirt, racing T-shirt, baseball cap (for the rain) and my running shoes. I decided to wear my heart-rate monitor just for fun. The weather called for rain all day and a high of 16C. It turned out to be around 7C and misting. I brought my rain jacket but decided to run without it, which was a smart choice! Although it was misting, the moisture kept me cool but not drenched.
I showed up a bit later than expected, but made my way to the 5k starting line which was about 50m in front of the 10k starting line. The 10k runners started at 10am and we started at 10:10am. I was near the back of the crowd and remained here as I kept my pace steady. I was with a few other runners for the first kilometer and then met some other runners - those who walked and ran. We ran up three hills in total and down one. I expected to run the course in the reverse order that we actually did, however I had some sense of direction.
I'm not sure if it was because I was running with so many other people, or because I didn't know exactly where I was going, but the course seemed unusually difficult and perhaps a bit short! I wasn't nearly as tired or out of breath as I normally am after I run 5km at home. Needless to say, I enjoyed every minute of the race and finished in 36 minutes! My goal was to run the whole thing and finish under 40 mins. Both of which, were accomplished :)
I will definitely be signing up for more races in the future with people I know! Lots of people ran in groups or with a friend which looked like a lot of fun :)
