A Runner’s Diary: The First 5K Race

After training with my friend Marti for the past month, we decided to sign up for the Richard Brodsky AIDS and Cancer Race. The 5K race took place in Oceanside, New York, at the Oceanside Park. As soon as Marti sent me the information, I sent it in with a donation. I felt ready to run a 5K.

The day of the race, I picked up Marti at her house and drove to Oceanside. We were there early and nothing was set up, so we stood around and waited. The race was a real grassroots effort. There were tons of bagels in paper bags and coffee cups still in plastic. Marti and I decided to go with the flow. We were just excited to run this race and start gearing up for the big race in January in Disney World.

Once they set up, they asked us to get online and get our numbers. Marti got her number: 717. I got my number: 668. We started to talk with another woman, Connie, who just started to run also. Connie was in her mid-to-late 50’s with married children and grandchildren. She was telling us that she just started running about a year ago and loves it.

When the race started, we were asked to go to the starting line. And off we ran. The first mile was torturous. My legs were aching and my body was just run down. The three of us—Marti, Connie and I—stayed together for the first leg of the race. By a quarter mile or so into it, we lost Connie.

Marti encouraged me the whole way. Since she already ran a few half marathons and the NYC marathon, I knew she was an experienced runner and I looked to her for guidance. Every time I wanted to slow down or stop, she told me to keep going. “You can do it,” she said.

After the first mile, the second and third miles felt easier. My legs felt less pain and I felt that I was in a rhythm. When my breathing got erratic and heavy, Marti told me to concentrate on slowing down my breathing. “Breathe in and count one, two, three, and breathe out and count one, two, three…,” she said.

Article Author: Hilary Topper

Hilary JM Topper, MPA, is the President & CEO of HJMT Public Relations, Inc., a boutique Public Relations and Digital Media Agency located in Melville, Long Island, Manhattan and in Rochester, NY.

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