Guess what?
**gasp** we have a race this weekend! Finally one that isn’t cancelled!
Tomorrow we’ll be getting up at the crack of dawn (drinking lots of coffee) and heading up to Kinross, MI to run in our 2nd to last race of the 2012 season.
The Kinross Classic is kind of a special race for us as that’s where I ran my first “real” race 2 years ago in 2010. (Sure I ran kiddie races when I was little but this was something that I had worked towards.)
I had just gotten Jacob and Salsa, my first Alaskan Huskies, about a month before the race and I ran in the 3-dog junior class with those two in lead and Ellie, my German shepherd, in wheel.
Although I had been preparing for this for 4 years, I don’t think you are ever truly prepared for your first race. I made lots of mistakes ~ the one that I remember most is wearing too many clothes. It was about 32 degrees and I was all bundled up in my new parka and snow pants, hat, gloves, neck gator, and UnderArmour while my competitors were dressed in jeans, sweatshirts, and running shoes. I would’ve fit right in if I was running the Iditarod but for a sprint race? My attire was definitely overkill.
The first hill I had to help my team on I thought I was going to die. I was probably slowing the dogs down more than I was helping them in my abominable snow suit. It was probably about 102 degrees F under my coat and I felt like I was having a heart attack.
I still had 3 more miles to go.
After I thought I would never live to see tomorrow, we finally crossed the finish line and I took every piece of winter gear off and threw it in the truck.
Needless to say I learned my lesson…the hard way. The next day I took note of what my competitors were wearing and did likewise. lol
At the end of the weekend we came in last place. I didn’t care though; I was finally living my dream, a dream that took 4 years to happen, and I was living it. You couldn't have brought me down off of cloud 9 for anything.
I learned a lot at my first race…stuff that I still put into practice today and probably always will. That’s the thing about this sport; you can read all you want to from books, the internet but you will never truly know how to do it until you do it. You learn by doing in this sport, by trial and error.
Your mistakes and screw ups teach you and mold you and your triumphs make it all worth doing.
That first race cemented me into this sport...no, lifestyle, and I don't think I could get out now if I tried.
I'm in it for good, for life. ~
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