More improvement while running with a group of people... that's encouraging!

So I did my 5K this morning and decided to incorporate my 2 mile training run into the 5K.  It worked out great!  I walked the first half mile and then started m run using iSmoothRun, on my iPhone, to record my 2 mile training run, then walked the last mile+ of the 5K.  The best warm up and cool down walks, ever!  I felt like I wasn't doing very well. Lots of people were passing me, and I was passing some people, but I kept comparing my speed to other people's.  I gotta learn to get beyond that and only compete with myself.  As it turned out, my pace improved a bit over my last run on my own, and I am doing fine and am right on track.  I came in 12th in my age group!  Okay... there were only 12 people in my age group!  I don't mind being last in my group, just not dragging my ass in last, overall!

Of course, I am starting this running thing all over again, and I'm not fast.  I know that!  I didn't even run the entire 2 miles - I took walk breaks.  I don't aspire to be particularly fast, just fast enough.  Fast enough to be able to keep up in the couple of races I have that there is a time requirement and fast enough to not come in last place, unless I choose to.  I also have a lot of anxiety running with a group.  What it I don't fit in, what if I AM last, what if look funny (I tend to prefer to blend in).  When we got to registration, I was looking around and thinking "my running tights look too tight" "I look ridiculous" "these people all look like real runners and I look like a poser" and other similar things.  Then, John told me that he turned around to help me find the registration area, and when he turned back he couldn't find me, because I looked just like everyone else in the room.  Hmmm... maybe I did blend in!  I WAS wearing my DetermiNation training shirt - the first time I've worn it to a race!  Yay!

This is the main reason that I want to try to do at least one "competitive" run each month.  The only way for me to get past the anxiety of running with a group of runners is to practice.  I have anxiety in any group/social situation already that I deal with and I train on my own, preferably in the dark.  I'll be working hard in this area, as well as training to run.

That said, my next public run is the Feet and Friends Fighting Colon Cancer 5K in 3 weeks.  Next training run is Monday, so I'll catch ya then.