Sunday 4 August 2013

My first Jost Running 5k race




Today was my first 5k race with Jost Running. I wasn't sure what to expect as I normally run races with hundreds of other runners, this was my first stab at running a virtual race against other runners from all over the world. I anxious to know how I would handle a virtual race and today I would find out.

The words "virtual race" did not my prevent me from thinking that this was different from any race I had done in the past. I kept my same race routine leading up to race day. I psyched myself up exactly the same and I set my goal. My goal was to finish the race in under 33 minutes. I was never really concerned with speed so I figured 33 minutes was a fair goal for myself. I planned out the 5k route the night before race day and made sure I had a good night sleep.

I woke up early and had my normal pre race breakfast of granola, blueberries and vanilla soy milk. This would be enough fuel for me to finish this race. I changed into my running gear, pinned on my bib, and off I went. I approached the starting line of my 5k route at around 9:00 am. I had it fixed in my mind that this was no ordinary run but a real race and I was competing against many others from around the world. I closed my eyes, counted to 10 and I was off. My race had begun.

I started with an easy pace as my strategy was to hit the gas at the last kilometre. I was making decent time as I wanted to accomplish my goal of under 33 minutes. If at any time I forgot this was a race, my bib would remind that is was and I better not slack off. All I could think about was how I am going to compare to all the other times. I thought about all the other runners who would be running this 5k race and competing with me. With that in mind, I sped up my pace  a bit. As I got to the third kilometre, I actually had a passerby say "Go Lewis!", as they saw my race bib. That gave me a good feeling! The 4th kilometre was coming up and I knew I needed to turn it up and run hard for the finish.

As soon as I passed the 4th kilometre I started running hard as my time was 24:32 I was in the home stretch and wanted to hit my goal of under 33 minutes. I was thinking about the other runners competing and how they are going to handle their homestretch. I continued to run hard for the finish until I crossed the finish line with a time of 31:59! I was very proud that I accomplished my goal by over a minute! I took a long drink of water and immediately wondered how my time will compare to the other runners. I went home, sent my time in and now look forward to getting my medal! 

As I stated, this was my first virtual race and I had a blast! Knowing that I was competing with other runners kept me focused and motivated the entire race. Just the thought that my time will be compared to other runners all over the world is very exciting! And receiving a medal for my hard work is very rewarding! 

I'm now looking forward to my next race with Jost Running. It will be a 10k so I better start training as it is coming up later this month and I want to focus on a good finishing time. 






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