One and Done

I'm not sure whether to think that a 1 mile race is the best or worst kind of race. Boy was it fast, but boy was it hard. I stumbled onto this race randomly last night -- the TC 1 mile.

 

 I had heard a lot of hype about it a few months ago because there's a random draw from the participants to qualify for the most popular 10 mile race of the year in the area. But I had since forgotten about it until I called up a girlfriend (who happens to be my favorite running buddy) last night. I was planning to take a longer run last night until she said she was running the 1 mile and her cousin couldn't make it anymore. Needless to say, I ran under an alias....which means I also don't have to claim the time of my not-so-fast run. 

In all my races I've done so far, my only goal has been to finish. When I realized this race was for time, my stomach started to knot a little bit. It's funny how races can ruffle your feathers when the only person you're trying to please is yourself. 

The experience itself was pretty neat. Imagine -- thousands of people running as fast as they can down a 1 mile strip between the skyscrapers. It was pretty awesome.

When the horn went off, there were so many people running in front of us that we started out at a slow jog. Once we busted onto the sidewalks away from the mob, we picked up the pace and started passing people. What is it that feels so good about passing people? The first quarter mile went so fast, I couldn't believe it. It wasn't until we hit 1/2 mile that I noticed how bad my lungs were burning. The only nice thing about pain in a 1 mile race is that you know it'll be over soon. Thankfully the course was slightly down hill toward the end, and shortly after we saw the finish line, I yelled (way too loudly, I'm afraid) "SPRINT, EMILIE! COME ON!"....thankfully she isn't embarrassed by me...We cruised past a few more people and triumphantly crossed the finish line chip-foot forward. I love the end of races when you hear the crowd cheer.  

I'm glad I did it for the experience. And now I have a baseline of just how fast I can plow through 1 mile. Plus, out of the whole deal I got a sweet Brooks performance running t-shirt.

And I didn't pay a dime....

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