I had the opportunity to run my first race as a member of the Slalom running team this past Thursday. I was excited to be a part of this team. Although I am on several running teams for runDisney and Team Chocolate Milk; this team is important to me because it is part of my new work life.

The race took place at Bushnell Park in Hartford and ran along Capitol Avenue and around the park. It was a very warm night and to be honest I wanted to try to race this race. I hadn’t raced a 5K in several years. You would think that with all the running I do, a 5K would be a piece of cake. But to be honest, I am not conditioned for a 5K. I used to be able to run a sub 30-minute 5K but now that I am training for the Marine Corps Marathon and the Dopey Challenge, while using the heart rate training method, my pace is not a sub 30-minute 5K pace.

I tried to push myself since it was a race and I wanted to see how I could do during a race, but it was an extremely hot night.  Even though it wasn’t as humid as past races I did during the HMF River Front Scrambles (blog posts to come for those races), it was still 84 degrees with sun.  I ignored my intervals in the first loop around the park; but then had to begin my 30/30 intervals because I was afraid I would run out of gas too quickly.

I finished around the 35 minute mark. I stopped for a runner who was having a seizure on the side of the road and asked the girl with him if she needed help; but since I am not a nurse I wasn’t going to be of much assistance to them so I moved along hoping that medical attention was going to show up quickly.  It’s so scary to see things like this happen at races of any distance.  It was a young man who was down, too.  I was feeling the heat of the race.  I couldn’t push myself any harder than I was or else I would have gotten sick.  I had to realize that I am not fast 5K trained right now.  5K races for me are just for fun.  My real important races are my half and full marathons and I will continue to train for them appropriately so that I can finish them in the time frames that I know I can safely handle and will be happy with.

Maybe one day I will go back to running fast 5K’s; but I think I like the challenge of the longer distances and my multi-day races like the Dopey challenge.  It took me many years to build up for those challenges and succeed at them so I have to be happy with that.

I stayed to watch our General Manager, Jim Goldschlager and the rest of the team finish the race and then we all went back to the office.  My family drove up to meet me after the race and check out my new office.  The kids were very impressed with how different it looked compared to what they remember at Honeywell.  Of course, it is different because it is Slalom.  Everyone on the team had pizza, salad, beer, wine and played some Shuffleboard.  Tim and Mohnish taught us how to play and it was a really fun night!

I’m very glad to be part of a company that embraces family and also glad to be part of a team that participates in many activities together.  Looking forward to many more races and activities at part of Team Slalom!