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I ran my very first race today and I got my first running shirt. I am so excited. The race is the Great Aloha Run. 8.15 miles from The Aloha Tower to the Aloha Stadium. I don't have my official time yet, but my watch chronometer read about 1:37 which is a smidge over 5 mph or 11:58 mile pace.
I would say that there were about 15-20.000 runners. We left about 5:00 am and parked the car at Aloha stadium. When we got there, I couldn't believe how many cars were in the parking lot. We ended up downtown around 6:00 am. There was a ton of people. It felt like the Magic Kingdom. Near the starting line, there was a DJ blasting music making it feel like a party atmosphere.
All of the seeded racers started first. The race started at 7:00 am sharp. Given the sea of people, we started at about 7:20. What's really cool is that to get your time, you get this little timing chip you put on your shoe. When you step on the starting mat, it starts the clock and when you hit the finish line, it clocks your total time. We will get the official results in a day or two.
One of the things that surprised me is that people were walking from the very start of the race. As we ran it, we kept passing people walking from begining until the end of the race. I started off a bit fast running the first 3 miles in about 33 minutes. About every mile, there was a high school band playing. Or a DJ playing music encouraging us all on.
There were 3 water stations. I think this was the coolest part of the race. No pun intended. Each water station was about 100 feet long with people handing out cups of water. I would grab one in each hand, drink it, and grab another one to drench my head. This was the first time ever I actually felt like a runner.
The hardest part of the race was after the 5 mile mark where there are 3 little hills that runners need to run. My heart rate was near 180 at this time, so I had to slow down so as to not burn out. We could see the stadium when it was about 2.25 miles away. That gave us a nice burst of energy. Once I passed the 6 mile mark, I knew I was going to make it, even though there were still 2 hills to go.
In the last mile, I always pick up the pace. This time was no different. I felt pretty strong in the legs. As we got near the stadium, there were cameras taking pictures. I thought we were almost done. So, I was running as hard as we could for a strong finish. However, it was a head fake. I almost burned myself out as we had another 1/3 mile to go. We entered the stadium like a marathon and we saw the finish line. I sprinted to the end and clocked the time at 1:37.
We then walked about 1/2 way around the track and through the tunnels to the outside of the stadium where we were given more water, bananas, donuts. This is when my calves started seizing up as they always do after a long run. We picked up our shirts and looked for our group. In the stadium, the first thing we did was walk up the stairs. I grabbed a rail and winced. The lady next to me said, "cruel, isn't it." It was once of those moments when two strangers can feel empathy toward each other without ever having met.
We didn't find our 3 runner so we walked back my car so we could get our phones and call our party. When we found Rebe, we found that she finished in an hour. Wow! 8 minute mile pace. Bryan and I were stunned and jealous. All in all, we had a great time and I'd definitely do it again. Other than some pain in my right calf, I'm doing pretty well. I expect I'll be fine tomorrow. We just got back from a nice big breakfast at Jack's in Aina Hina. I can't believe I'm already hungry again.
Next challenge, 1/2 marathon.... June, Sept or Nov.
I would say that there were about 15-20.000 runners. We left about 5:00 am and parked the car at Aloha stadium. When we got there, I couldn't believe how many cars were in the parking lot. We ended up downtown around 6:00 am. There was a ton of people. It felt like the Magic Kingdom. Near the starting line, there was a DJ blasting music making it feel like a party atmosphere.
All of the seeded racers started first. The race started at 7:00 am sharp. Given the sea of people, we started at about 7:20. What's really cool is that to get your time, you get this little timing chip you put on your shoe. When you step on the starting mat, it starts the clock and when you hit the finish line, it clocks your total time. We will get the official results in a day or two.
One of the things that surprised me is that people were walking from the very start of the race. As we ran it, we kept passing people walking from begining until the end of the race. I started off a bit fast running the first 3 miles in about 33 minutes. About every mile, there was a high school band playing. Or a DJ playing music encouraging us all on.
There were 3 water stations. I think this was the coolest part of the race. No pun intended. Each water station was about 100 feet long with people handing out cups of water. I would grab one in each hand, drink it, and grab another one to drench my head. This was the first time ever I actually felt like a runner.
The hardest part of the race was after the 5 mile mark where there are 3 little hills that runners need to run. My heart rate was near 180 at this time, so I had to slow down so as to not burn out. We could see the stadium when it was about 2.25 miles away. That gave us a nice burst of energy. Once I passed the 6 mile mark, I knew I was going to make it, even though there were still 2 hills to go.
In the last mile, I always pick up the pace. This time was no different. I felt pretty strong in the legs. As we got near the stadium, there were cameras taking pictures. I thought we were almost done. So, I was running as hard as we could for a strong finish. However, it was a head fake. I almost burned myself out as we had another 1/3 mile to go. We entered the stadium like a marathon and we saw the finish line. I sprinted to the end and clocked the time at 1:37.
We then walked about 1/2 way around the track and through the tunnels to the outside of the stadium where we were given more water, bananas, donuts. This is when my calves started seizing up as they always do after a long run. We picked up our shirts and looked for our group. In the stadium, the first thing we did was walk up the stairs. I grabbed a rail and winced. The lady next to me said, "cruel, isn't it." It was once of those moments when two strangers can feel empathy toward each other without ever having met.
We didn't find our 3 runner so we walked back my car so we could get our phones and call our party. When we found Rebe, we found that she finished in an hour. Wow! 8 minute mile pace. Bryan and I were stunned and jealous. All in all, we had a great time and I'd definitely do it again. Other than some pain in my right calf, I'm doing pretty well. I expect I'll be fine tomorrow. We just got back from a nice big breakfast at Jack's in Aina Hina. I can't believe I'm already hungry again.
Next challenge, 1/2 marathon.... June, Sept or Nov.
and get some 
You did well and you enjoyed the challenge. Good for you! 
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