Taking the Next Step: Running for a Cause
2019
We begin with the slight pain in my side and my breathing starting to get heavier, but why am I feeling this way after weeks of training and getting prepared for my 5k? Is it because I ran too fast on the first mile? Is it because I didn't hydrate enough? Was it because it was more humid outside than I expected? These were all questions I was asking myself back in September as I was running around Eli Lilly's campus during my first ever 5k.
If we fast forward about a month before that, Fall morning classes had just begun and I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do for my immersion experience. As I was thinking about different things, I could do for this class I remembered that the nonprofit that my Aunt helps out at from time to time was having their yearly 5k run at Eli Lilly. I had been trying to get back in shape recently and I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to complete my experience. Since I had been running for a little bit, but only a couple times a week and nothing close to the 3.1-mile distance of a 5k I decided to start training and running around my neighborhood enough to where I would be prepared and able to run across that finish line at Eli Lilly.
Fast forward to the day of the race I found out that my mom was also running it and I would see her there and a good amount of my family was there to support my Aunt and the non-profit Connect 2 Help. As everyone started to get around the finish line, I had these two women next to me and they were asking me if we were in a good place to start. I joked with them that anyone running in the faster times were standing on the line ready to take off into the breeze, and just like that they blew the whistle to signify the race starting.
Right before the race when we were signing in and getting all of the handouts organized, we had to put on our race bibs with our racing numbers on it. One thing I found interesting was that they had an RFID chip in the racing bibs and those bibs supposedly tracks our times to be spot on from the starting line to the finish line. Experts on running any distance race suggest using RFID chips on the persons racing to have a more statistical tracked time and more accurate time compared to just using a finish line timing. In writing about how RFID bibs work, Ken Getchell, who works for SpectaSport, explained, “Race timing ends up being a lot of moving parts working together in synchronization. With all that goes on race day, it’s helpful to have some experience with race timing systems so that things are more likely to go smoothly. That’s why most races, even small fundraiser races, choose to get a professional race timer to help (Getchell).” Getchell claims that using an RFID chip whether in a bib or on a shoe is more reliable and accurate compared to other means of tracking running times. Marathon Guide writer Alex Sinha agrees with Ken Getchell that RFID chips are more reliable than other methods of tracking times as he says, “Chip timing eliminates the problems inherent to manual timing; as such, there will be no mistakes in the results caused by confusing, multiple-chute finishing areas, "bandits" (runners who have not registered) confusing timers, runners wearing the wrong number, or runners who get out of order in the chutes. Also, because the process of matching times to numbers is computerized, human error is minimized, and times can be made available almost instantaneously through the system (Sinha).” Alex Sinha is saying that by using RFID chips you eliminate a ton of possibilities of errors by using other forms of tracking times and not running into issues of even if people didn’t register for the race.
I thought I had a good pace, a pace that I had been used to running, but it turned out that I was 30-45 seconds faster than I wanted to be. I also realized that right before I finished the first mile, I had forgotten to chew on a piece of spearmint gum. I found out through reading articles while I was preparing that chewing on a piece of gum helps keep your mouth watery and your temperature down. As I was rounding a turn where it was the .5-mile straight path of the race my pace started to slow down. As I looked further down, I saw something that was much needed, a water station. As I passed the water station, I didn’t want to slow down so I tried to drink the water as fast as I could, and I felt like I wasted more than I was actually able to drink.
As I continued to run the side of my foot started to hurt and I was wondering if I was going to be able to finish the race and if i was wearing the correct shoes for the race. If you ever run, you know the type of shoes you are wearing can make or break a run. “You know what you want from your running shoes: light weight, cushioning, support, and a comfortable fit. Of course, the most important part of any shoe is your experience over the hundreds of miles you’ll take them on (Runner’s World).” So many different aspects go into the different shoes that different people run in. From weights, to feel, to looks, to even the company. The decisions people make on deciding on a shoe can be on any details, but usually runs around comfort.
As I made it past the second mile there was a section where the route looped right next to each other and I ran past the 10 to 15 people in front of me. That section helped me continue to push myself even though I felt like I was at my breaking point. When I reached the last half mile, I felt like the race was never going to end. Right before I got to the middle track where we started, I had to go up a slight incline and it felt like I was running up a mountain side, but as soon as I got to the top there was a slight decline until I got to the last quarter mile and I was able to pick my pace up for that and run across the finish line. My favorite part about my immersion experience was me being able to support my mom as she crossed the finish line a couple minutes after me and to be able to embrace and say we both accomplished what we set our goals to be made the immersion experience even more important than it was before.