{That 1st Memorable 5K}

A question came up the other day on one of the running blogs that I follow and it got me thinking. A little scary? Probably but, it was a really great question and one that brought up a wonderful memory so I thought I’d share.



Share your first ever running event?


The first event that Jason and I participated in was back in June of 2009. We were gearing up for the big half marathon at Disneyland and we decided to try an event to get a feel for what “race day” was all about. We signed up for the Mojave River Walk 5K. Let me emphasize that up until this point, all of our running had been done in consistent California beach weather (which averages 65-70 degrees daily) and of course at sea level. Let me also say that we weren’t experienced runners and as for me, well whatever knowledge I thought I had was really not that much. Little known fact, running at 4000 feet is a little different than running at sea level. Yup, I learned that the hard way on June 28th, 2009 as I set off to run my first 5K in the hot desert sun. I probably shouldn’t drag Jason’s name in here too much because these are all of my thoughts. Poor guy was simply tagging along with a smile on his face in order to keep positive spirits for me.


The big day arrived, our very first race. Jason was hung over and I was on cloud 9. Opposites really do attract =) Some of our close friends decided to join us on our crazy excursion so, at 4 a.m. we all managed to get up out of bed. We made our way over to the registration booth to pick up our bibs. Luckily there was a Starbucks right down the street. We were all pretty tired from our late night festivities and the extra caffeine was a much needed addition to our out of sync morning routine.


As the sun came up over the mountains, the temperature started to warm up quite a bit. Did I mention that we were in the desert? We waited patiently for 8:30 to make its way. There we were, just us friends surrounded by thousands of other people. There were four of us that ran together. We had quite the cheering section. Heck we even had our own photographer.

As the countdown began, my nerves kicked into full gear. All of the sudden my stomach started to flutter. I looked at My Jay, gave him a kiss, and wished him lots of luck. I made sure my music was turned on and my Garmin was ready to go. When the shot rang, off I went. I had no idea what to expect. I just followed the hundreds of people in front of me.


Most of what I remember is just running. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why I felt so tired and why I felt like I wanted to just stop and walk. I found it extremely hard to catch my breath. Once I made my way out of the dirt area, I looked down at my Garmin and I realized that I was running faster than I had ever set myself up to run. So there I was, a mile into my run with just over two miles to go and my body was already tired.

BIG Lesson’s I Learned From My 1st Race:

• Never take off running like a bandit from the beginning.

• Always remember to pace yourself.

• Never try to keep up with others (more than likely they will end up walking and you will pass them up anyway).

• Keep in mind climate and elevation. *Note to self running at 4000 feet is clearly a little harder on your body than running at sea level and beach weather is much nicer to run in than desert weather at least in California.

I have learned that once I set a pace, it is hard to slow down. So when I started off running like a mad woman, it was really hard for me to slow down. I actually couldn’t get myself to do it so I kept pushing forward (very good way to get injured by the way). For months I had been running 10 minute miles. That was my goal for my first 1/2 marathon. Averaging anywhere between 8:30 and 9:30 minute miles was a lot for me. Adding all of the other elements, turned out to be a bit harsh on my body. My other problem, I don’t know how to not keep pushing forward. When I set my mind to something, I will see it through no matter what. I do believe that this is the only reason why I got through my first 5K because when I crossed the finish line, I really thought I was going to pass out.


I bet you are wondering where my wonderful memory is. The race itself was great. I just felt like a complete idiot for being so unprepared. Crossing the finish line was amazing. I really don’t think that will ever get old. The sense of accomplishment is pretty huge. My finishing time was pretty good for my first race and completely unexpected. Since I had paced myself at 10:00 minute miles for training, I knew my chances for winning anything where slim to none. However, I finished in 29:35 and placed 3rd in my division.

Aside from all of the running and almost killing myself scenario, there actually really is a wonderful memory and it wasn’t one that I found until after the official scores were posted online.

When I went online, this is what I found:


63 3 4142 SHANNON MALL 29 F F2529 CA 29:35 9:33


64 16 4134 RICKY LLAMAS 15 M M1419 CA 29:51 9:38


My nephew, whom we hadn’t seen in a while ran the same race and came in right behind me. What made it even better was that “our photographer” got a picture of us making our way towards the finish line together.

If you look behind me, you can see my nephew =)

And here is what he really looks like. Handsome & one of my favorite people!

After we saw all of this, Jason and I started making some phone calls. We were able to get in touch with him. He shared with me that he tried to look for us but her couldn’t find us. He heard the announcers call my name when they announced the race winners and everything but he just couldn’t see us.


Jason and I are very close to our nephew. Ever since this day, we have stayed in constant communication. I can’t really call him one of my favorite kids anymore because he’s almost an adult but I can say that he is one of my favorite people in the whole wide world!!


Event stories are fun! If you have one to share, I 'd love to hear all about it!!