The First 3.1

The Color Run is marketed as “the happiest 5K on the planet” and it only has two rules: begin the race wearing all white and finish covered in color. It was all that and more. 

For the six or so years before that July morning, I was what I call a sporadic runner. I would go through phases where I would run consistently and then I wouldn’t for months. I can’t remember my first run or why I decided I would try it out, but somewhere along the way of balancing school and work, family and friends, I added running to my life. There aren’t that many memories, but  I can bring to mind an occasional run if I try really hard. There was an early morning track run in the rain, the day I tried to run in the Australian heat after a long day of student teaching, and the first time I ran from my grandmother’s house in my hometown. I also can remember long periods of time where there was no running at all. 

Eventually, though, my running increased. Again, I’m not sure when and I’m not sure why. I joined a gym during my internship year and that is where I slowly became a little more consistent. I found myself frequently running on the treadmill. I was working on getting a little faster, going a little further, and I got to the point where I was even feeling confident in my progress and I kept at it. I wasn’t running far. I definitely wasn’t running fast. I didn’t even call myself a runner. 

But then, I decided the time had come. It was time to think about a race and to begin to make a plan. The Color Run was what energized me to commit. It was low stakes. It was friendly to beginners. It wasn’t even timed. It was meant to be fun. And I decided it should be a family affair. I had a few others in my family who had been getting active in their own ways and so it made sense that we would do this together. 

Deciding to sign-up for my very first race was the easy part. Getting to the start line and then on to the finish, would take some work. A couch to 5K training plan became my friend. I downloaded a free app on my phone and with a few runs each week, I got to it. Over the course of a couple of months, I ran and walked, eventually running more than I walked, eventually running without walking at all. 

My race goal was to run the whole 3.1 miles, which I did, but a few other things didn’t quite go as planned. On the morning of the race, I got up early to have a good breakfast and to drink plenty of water. I wanted to be sure I was properly nourished and hydrated. I didn’t wear my race shirt (starting a habit I still have today), but I did wear a white t-shirt. I also wore old shorts and shoes so as to not have to worry about colored powder staining anything good. When I was picked up to head downtown to the race, I was feeling ready. And I was excited. 

A family photo was taken right before the start.  Five of us showed up at the start line together. But only two of us stayed together from beginning to end. My cousin and I ran the whole course side by side. Along the route, I got a little thirsty and I was grateful that I had decided to bring a water bottle along after all. As I took one drink, my body immediately reacted by sending a signal from my bladder to my brain. I needed to pee. But I was running a race. I kept moving, trying to focus on getting to the finish, when my mind was overtaken. I started to pee. But I kept running. I’m not sure how many seconds passed as my bladder released itself and sent warm liquid running down my legs and into my shoes all while I kept my legs moving forward. 

I just kept running and finally finished. I crossed the finish line with a smile on my face having run the whole thing. I didn't have a smartwatch back then, but I did have a watch with a stopwatch feature that I used. I don’t remember the time, but I remember being pleased. We found the others and took another photo capturing all our color and our accomplishment. Following the race we went to brunch, another habit that continues to today. Between ordering and our food and drink arriving, each of us took turns using the one-stall bathroom to change our clothes. After we were all cleaned up and I was dry, I told my story. I told them about the time I peed myself while running my very first race. 

This post is part of a blog hop with Exhale—an online community of women pursuing creativity alongside motherhood, led by the writing team behind Coffee + Crumbs. Click here to view the next post in the series "Novel".