The Anniversary

As I mentioned in my last column, April 12 marks one year of running.

Although one year does not make me an expert, below is a list of some things I have learned:

1. Hot wings are awesome. Running after eating hot wings is not awesome. You can substitute hot wings with bleu cheese burgers or anything that tastes really good.

2. Races should be fun. Don't feel pressure to do one if you don't want to.

3. If your thighs tend to rub together when you run, invest in some Body Glide or something that will prevent chafing. Hardcore chafing is no fun at all. It feels like someone scrapped part of your skin off with a razor. I forgot to wear some when I ran my half marathon, and it was brutal.

4. If the Porta-Potties are smelly by the time you get to them before the race, get there earlier. Problem solved. At the Cap 10k I got there earlier and I was pleasantly rewarded with a ... clean port-a-potty? hmm... maybe not much of a reward, but still.

5. You may think in a race you will be faster then the pregnant lady, the man with the jogging strollers, the eighty year old, but you'd be surprised.

6. A year ago, I started running. I was slow. A year has passed, I'm still slow. Whatcha gonna do?

7. Be kind. My last race, my first "aquathon"-a swimming and running race, I was struggling to see where to go. This lady who was also competing helped direct me where. At the end of the run, I made sure to stay and clap for her as she came through the finish.

8. It's good to have goals but don't discount being comfortable in a race. You will not always have time to train for that half marathon or be able to get an awesome pace and so in those instances, just running a 5k where you feel good afterwards is great.

9. Get that pebble out of your shoe! Dont wait! Next thing you know that pebble is going to invite another pebble in your shoe! Seriously, pebbles are like rabbits only not as soft to step on.

10. My very first race was my favorite. It wasn't the nicest, nor did it have the best crowd support, or the best t-shirts. But I strongly believe if I had not done that first 5k, I wouldnt have done any other races and would have lost out on a ton of great experiences.

Although running or racing may not be for everyone, I think we could all benefit from taking some time to reflect on what we have learned from the things we enjoy doing. I particulary think that reflection is a good idea because reflecting is not running and therefore is quite a good match with eating some hot wings!