And they're off!

Today was our first group run. I thought I might have a hard time getting up at 6:40 so that I could meet Erin in front of her place at 7:00, but I woke up before the alarm. I guess I was excited, in that kid-on-the-first-day-of-school way. Poor Erin was definitely more exhausted than me - she has friends visiting this weekend, and they didn't arrive until 4:30 this morning!

We got to the track at the local high school decently early, and after listening to the coaches and captains chat for a bit (I'm going to have to get used to hearing them talk about how much we're helping cancer patients without crying every time), they sent us off for a one-lap warm-up before stretching. I had no idea that you are actually supposed to break a sweat, stretch, and then begin your workout. I suppose that's the benefit of training with people who know what they're doing!

After stretches, the coaches sent us back to the track, where they told us to run at a comfortable pace and count our laps for the next 30 minutes. I ran for a while next to one of the other team captains, and we chatted about work and politics. At about the same time, we both realized that I was going slower than I could, and she encouraged me to not worry about her and pick up my own pace. I did 10 laps (2 1/2 miles) in the 30 minutes. I probably could have done more had I sped up sooner, but I'm fine with that for now.

When everyone had cleared the track and reported our lap count to our respective captains - so they could split us into pace groups for the next run - we headed over to the library for an athlete's clinic. The first speaker was a chiropractor and physical therapist who advised us on how to prevent certain injuries and what to do if we got them. His company offers free consultations to Team in Training runners, which is good to know in the event I hurt myself (knock wood, fingers crossed).

Next up was a guy from Potomac River Running, although not the one that I went to. He explained the gate analysis process that I went through, and also showed a variety of products. This included clothing that wicks moisture; high protein gels, jelly beans and cubes; body glide to prevent chafing; and other little gadgets and tools. It turns out that next week we will all go to the store in Reston before or after our run. Since he gave us each a coupon for a free pair of running socks with our purchase, I think I'm going to get another pair of my balega socks as well as the "Virginia is for Runners" shirt that I liked so much!

Afterwards, the coaches pulled tickets for another raffle (this one was free), and the prizes were a t-shirt, running socks, a $25 gift certificate to PRR, and $50 towards our fundraising page. Keri, who was sitting right next to me and had just one number off from me, won the gift certificate. Lucky! The raffle concluded the meeting, so we walked back to our cars, chatting about the Nike Women's Marathon/Half Marathon in San Francisco, during which a firefighter in a tuxedo presents you with a Tiffany's necklace on a silver platter upon completing the race!

Overall, it was a good workout and an informative meeting. Everyone is so cheerful and passionate about what they're doing, and it's really nice to meet and spend time with new people. I think this is going to be a really good season.

In related news, I got a complete physical on Thursday, and the doctor says that I'm in perfect shape to do an event like this. She even said that I already have the unusually low heart rate of a person who runs on a regular basis. I'm starting to feel more and more like a runner!