February's Race - Red Flannel Run, 3 miles, Des Moines IA

    Yesterday, we participated in our February race, the Red Flannel Run in downtown Des Moines.  This race is the "unofficial start to the running season" according to the organizers.  It is a fun run in which most people dress in some sort of red flannel or costume associated with winter, Valentine's day or pajamas.  Really anything goes.  There were a group of men in loin cloths with their entire bodies painted red, a moose and hunter, cupid and a gnome, to name a few of the more memorable costumes.  I dressed up as a kid RUNNING away from home in the middle of the night.  The costume all revolved around the one piece pajama set and furry earflap hat that I found in Target about a month ago.  When I put them on, I looked like a little kid, so I added Teddy to finish off the look.  Although it was not the most flattering outfit, it was cute.
   There were just over 1,600 runners participating in the race, about 1,000 of them running the 3 mile run and the rest running 5 miles.  This amount of runners caused quite a slow start to the race.  We didn't even cross the start line until 1 minute and 25 seconds after the gun sounded.  The first mile was very congested and there was not room to establish my pace.  The objective was just to avoid tripping over another person, or animal, in that first mile or so.  After the crowd spread out a bit, I picked up some speed.  It was interesting running while holding a teddy bear, since I pump my arms a lot in an attempt to move faster.  I'm pretty sure this was the most exciting day Teddy has had in years!   
    We were lucky to have half way decent weather for this race.  The race organizers reported the weather as 25 degrees and sunny.  This may sound cold, but considering that earlier in the week we had several days where the high temperatures were in the single digits, I would say it was balmy.  But, running in cold weather has its downside.  You dress in layers, because it is cold, but as you run and sweat, and the layers feel stifling.  I blame the layers and furry hat for the dizziness that I thought might make me pass out around mile 2.5.  The cold weather also seems to affect my breathing.  A sharp pain materialized in my lungs around 1.5 miles into the race.  I ran through it, but the race then became much more difficult.  The discomfort that the cold created, coupled with my lack of training, had me thinking that I might not make it to the end, and that I was absolutely CRAZY to think I can run a marathon.  
    Nicole keeps telling me that running long distances is truly a mental endeavor.  I know she is right, but when a 3 mile run is hard for me, it is difficult to see how I will make it through 26.2 miles!  Racking up the miles while training is important, but I am struggling with the mental aspect of running.  We'll see how that develops over the next several months.  For now, I am happy that I finished the race and didn't end up passed out on the course.  It would have been quite a sight, a furry hatted girl, in her polka dot pajamas, sprawled out on the streets of Des Moines, grasping her childhood teddy bear.