Last October, I wrote about my first 5K experienceat Cornerstone’s Homecoming weekend. I wasn’t sure where it would take me, but over the last year, I completed seven races…in the snow, on a trail, in the driving rain, and even in the heat. I started with a time of 31 and some change…and whittled it down to 28.30 over this last summer.
Last Saturday, it was time for the alumni race at Cornerstone again, so I headed up for my first “repeat” race. There was something strangely comforting about going to a race for the second time. I knew what to expect, how many people there would be, and the condition of the course.
But even though the race had not changed, it was crazy to think about how much I had changed in the last year. I walked into my first race as an insecure runner, wearing cheap sneakers and a borrowed iPod, not even sure if I could run the entire race without stopping. I remember pinning and re-pinning my number on my shirt, my hands shaking as I tried to put it on straight. I even wore my race t-shirt, which I found out later usually pegs you as a rookie.
This time around, I came prepared. Real running shoes, layered clothes, even my own shuffle loaded with my race playlist. But more importantly, I was confident. Confident that I could finish, confident that I could possibly shave off a few seconds off my best time, confident that I belonged there.
That’s what it comes down to. Confidence. Knowing that even though I may start out uneasy in a new situation, I will eventually become more comfortable with it…and it will become just another part of my life. Are more races in my future? Definitely. The “race buzz” is still worth it. But hopefully I will jump into some more new situations too…who knows what is down the road for me…
