My very first race was the Springtime Tallahassee 10k in 2007. My aunt Mary had started getting into running and convinced us all to sign up. We had NO idea what we were in for. I was 17, so I was able to run with youthful energy for awhile. What you need to know though, is that Tallahassee is very hilly-and this race route is through some downtown areas that I avoided when I drove my stick shift. It's a very challenging course, so to make it your first race is kinda crazy!
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| 2007 (I'm number 46!) |
I remember sitting on my front porch with my cousin Brandon (to the left of me in the picture) after that race and thinking I'm not going to be able to get up! After that year they added a 5k route to the same race, and we did that faithfully for a few years. I moved away in 2010 when I got married, but I still tried to run it with my parents a couple of times. It's a really popular race, so there are tons of people running with you and there are a lot of vendors at the afterparty. Plus the Springtime Tallahassee parade is a great tradition to watch while sporting your race bib.
This year, my mom and I have been run/walking together twice a week. She is killing it right now. She has lost a lot of weight and is loving her Orangetheory classes. My mom said that she never thought she would be able to run. We've been using the C25K/C210K apps, and they are a game changer! On the app, you select which day you are on and it will guide you through your run with voice prompts.
The 10K was still very hard! But, we ran the first mile easily because it's downhill. After that we turned on the app and ran together. It's great because the walk breaks allow you to catch your breath. I never would have been able to run such a big portion of that race without doing it like that. You can do anything for 90 seconds!
Gosh, it was so humid during the race! They actually had to move up the start time, so that the parade could start earlier too. Just as predicted, the rain poured at 11 am! April showers, I guess. Either way, it was so fun and I was just SO incredibly proud of my mom. She has inspired me a lot lately, especially because exercise has not been a big part of my daily routine for a while.
I was just thinking a have a box of medals and race bibs that I really need to do something with! Let me know if you have any suggestions. And be sure to leave a comment below if you have done something again after a few years and been able to compare your journey!
