Thursday, May 23, 2013

The Great Glow Run: My First 5k


On Saturday May 11, 2013 I participated in my very first 5k! I was called the Great Glow Run and the proceeds went to the Easter Seals UCP an organization that is committed to providing services to children and adults with disabilities and their families. 

I ran this 5k with my friends Cathy and Cassie. I could not have done it without their support and encouragement! Running with friends made it so much fun! The run was at Dorthea Dix Park in downtown Raleigh. Below is a map of the 3.2 mile course.


I decided to participate in the Great Glow Run because I want to experience a 5k, but let be honest, it's intimidating for a first timer who only recently started running on a regular basis. I thought running my first race at night would make it easier and more exciting, and I was right!

My goal for this race was to show up, run/jog as much as possible and make it to the finish line in under 1 hour. My official time was 47 minutes and 48 seconds and I came in at
780th place out of 1,000. I count that as a victory! The race results were counted electronically by a chip that was attached to the back of every runners bib. Once the data was uploaded I was able to access my results online. This totally may be standard for all races, but I think it's really cool. Hey, I'm newbie, I'm allowed to get excited!

A really fun and unique aspect of this race is that since we were in the middle of the pack, we were constantly picking up glow sticks that other runners had dropped along the way. Cathy ended up with a ton by the end of the race!

My favorite thing about the course was that as we were running we could see the Raleigh skyline at night from the park. It was beautiful!
 
The parts that didn't shine as bright were poor parking direction coming in and going out, having to pay for glow sticks, (I feel that at least one glow stick should have been included in the packet with the ticket price) and having the course double back and overlap at times so there were people coming toward us while we was running.

Here are some fun shots from the race taken by the event staff:
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Participating in this was not a walk in the park (haha) for me. It really pushed my athletic capabilities and I even got a chest cramp about half ay through, but I felt so good as I sprinted across the finish line with Cassie and Cathy. I am so glad that I signed up and I hope it comes back next year!

Have you ever participated in a 5k? Share your experience in the comments! 

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