Six months ago I started training for the runDisney Avengers 5K in November. I decided I needed a race midway to a) learn how a race worked and b) measure my progress. That first race ended up being the Color the Skies 5k in Ripon California this last Saturday.

With shorter days and a trip to SoCal, I haven’t been training much and had no idea how I’d perform come race day. My finish time was 42:43. Here’s the stats from my watch:

My time was kind of a bummer. I’ve run this distance with a much better time in my neighborhood. That being said, having a time at all is definitely something to celebrate.

Here’s a few things I learned from my first race:
> Running a race without headphones is awesome. So much to take in.
> Running in a group is awesome. Being in a pack (or tribe) of about 20 people all stomping and breathing hard was amazing.
> Look out for dicks stopping to adjust their tunes.
> Don’t let the warmup routine of others intimidate you. You’re not racing against them. You’re racing against yourself.
> When you see that finish line, sprint with everything you’ve got plus 10%. You’re brain is holding out on you.

While I was disappointed with my time, I’m definitely not disappointed with my weight loss results thus far.

Left: One year and 74 lbs ago. Right: Race day!

Finally, I have to thank my wife for getting up at 5:00 am to support me. It meant so much to me to have her there. Also, she took some awesome pics!