Today, I completed my second-ever organized race. It was the Winter Off Road Race Series 3k in Overton Park. The weather was pretty amazing (34ºF and raining), but I dressed for it and had a great time.
Being only my second race, there's a few things that I thought were interesting about this particular race.
- Lots of kids! I was somewhat amazed at the number of kids that ran this race; many of them probably around 10-12 years old.
- A surprising number of people under-dress for cold weather. There are always the tough people who run in freezing weather wearing shorts and short sleves, but I also saw a number of people who were probably wearing nothing more than tights and a light jacket. I heard lots of people complaining about the cold. Maybe I overdid it with longjohns and extra layers, but I felt quite toasty warm.
- The were a lot of people at this race. I don't have an exact count, but there's definitely a thriving community of runners in the Memphis area. It's pretty awesome to be a part of it.
- A 3k (~1.8miles) is a really short race. My typical run is usually about 3 miles, so this went by really quickly. It did give me a chance to turn up the speed a little, which is something I rarely do.
I had a really good time running this race, and I'm looking forward to the next in the series: A 5k at Stanky Creek.