Looking for first 5k tips and advice!

becky53012
becky53012 Posts: 78 Member
edited November 20 in Fitness and Exercise
Hi,
I just signed up for my first 5k run/walk at the end of Oct. and im nervous/excited to give it a try. Here's the thing, I don't currently run. I really want to run it though. Ive been walking and hitting the gym 4-5 days a week. I do a combination of strength training and cardio. I did check out the awesome C25K app and downloaded it. I feel like I have the time to train for this and am dedicated. I am open to any advice, suggestions, or just encouragement on how to help me get prepared for this as a newbie! I think my biggest fear is that at 269lbs I won't be able to do it. I can walk 5k in about 61 min if that helps. Thanks!

Replies

  • fromaquasar1
    fromaquasar1 Posts: 51 Member
    Get some sweet beats to listen to while you run. Make sure you're eating enough to sustain your new running life. Maybe see if you can find a friend to do C25K with, so you can meet each day to run (less chance you'll skip it). Know it's ok if you don't progress exactly in line with the program. A couple of times I found one of the later runs really hard, or I had to stop. I just did that run again, until I could and kept going. Don't skip stretching, after years of running your body will thank-you for it. Have fun!
  • Philtex
    Philtex Posts: 1,227 Member
    Another vote for C25K. Take it slow while doing the program. If you can run any slower you are running too fast. There will be plenty of time to work on speed later. Have fun!
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
    I love C25K. It's an eight-week program, so even if you need to repeat a day or two, or if you can't always get in the three run days per week, you have plenty of time to finish the program and run the whole 5k in October.

    The most useful piece of running advice I got (and I needed people to repeat it a LOT before I believed it) is slow down. You may be able to walk faster than you can run at the beginning, and that's totally okay. Running is a gait, not a speed, so you need time to practice it as a new skill. Run as slowly as you need to in order for it to be (relatively) comfortable; speed naturally follows as you practice.

    If you haven't yet, I'd strongly recommend going to a running store and getting fitted for new running shoes. When I was first doing C25K, I didn't believe how much of a difference new shoes would make in terms of how my knees/ankles/feet/hips felt after a run.
  • Philtex
    Philtex Posts: 1,227 Member
    Another thing - consider the treadmill. You will want to do some amount of running outside before the race but a lot of your training could be on a TM. It might help you if you have heat to deal with this summer. Personally, I'm inside until fall.
  • elizabethmcopeland
    elizabethmcopeland Posts: 167 Member
    c25k will help with this, but don't be afraid to mix up walking and running. just keep moving, have fun, keep it up. :)
  • DX2JX2
    DX2JX2 Posts: 1,921 Member
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    Get fit for some decent running shoes and enjoy C25K...

    Youll be fine doing it at your weight, and as you keep losing weight it'll only get easier!

    This. Get some new shoes for training and stick to the program. 3 months to prep for a 5k is plenty of time. Resist the urge to overtrain until your body adjusts. Running should be challenging but not painful. If you feel any pain after a run (outside of normal muscle soreness) don't blindly push through the pain. Figure out what's causing it and fix that before continuing with your training.

    Good luck!
  • becky53012
    becky53012 Posts: 78 Member
    You all are fabulous, thank you! It gives me great ambition and hope!
  • WickAndArtoo
    WickAndArtoo Posts: 773 Member
    You will do great! You are right on track, seriously don't worry about your weight. You walk as fast as I do, and I am 124lbs and I run, so the next step for you is to just start running, little spurts and slow at first, but that's how we all started!

    I agree with others, just open that app and try it out, it's a tiny step but I totally understand how it's a big deal/easy to procrastinate.

    My tips for 5K in general/running:

    Find a pair of comfortable shoes, make sure to ask the running store (please use a legit running store for quality shoes) about their return policy, because usually you won't know the shoes is painful until you have actually ran in it. -do not try to force it if they are painful-

    High tempo songs that make me want to party are my favorite, no matter how tired I am I just plain can't walk to "shake your tail feather" it's a fact!

    Have fun and don't take it too seriously, given the amount of time you have to train you are definitely going to be able to run it, but regardless, the best part about 5Ks is that they are so fun and no one is judging, in fact it's the opposite! If you are looking for a reminder that people are kind and good, run a 5K because literally every stranger is rooting for you, even when you are walking!

    Oh and one last thing, if you are going to be running and training in heat do not underestimate the need to drink water/eat a balanced snack afterwards.

  • PokernuttAR
    PokernuttAR Posts: 74 Member
    If its close enough, go check out the course before the race so you know what to expect. My first race had a huge uphill towards the end and I wish I would have paced myself better for it and ran more hills leading up to race day.

    Also, try and do a race day simulation a few weeks before the race. Do everything you will do on race day to see how prepared you are or are not. Assuming your race is in the morning, I would wake up, eat a meal, and run 5k all according to how I think will suit me best on race day. After this dry run, you will know if you need to make any adjustments.

    Good luck!
  • BruinsGal_91
    BruinsGal_91 Posts: 1,400 Member
    BrianSharpe wrote: »
    If you follow the C25K plan diligently and consistently you will get to experience one the most awesome things around......crossing a race finish line for the first time (actually, the feeling never gets old....).

    I'll warn you up front though.....5Ks are a gateway race.You do a few, your speed starts to improve and then your brain goes "that's not so bad....how about a 10K" then a half-marathon or triathlon and next thing you know you've subscribed to a running magazine and have a wall full of finishers medals.

    Follow the plan, have fun & remember to smile for your finish line photo!

    I still haven't mastered this.
  • HollyKidd2017
    HollyKidd2017 Posts: 13 Member
    Sent friend request. I am getting ready for my first 5k in October also. I'm also about 260 and never ran much before
  • collegegirl713
    collegegirl713 Posts: 189 Member
    This is so encouraging. I am also planning on my first 5K. I have been doing the C25K app and I have run into some issues with shin splints. I echo the recommendation on the shoes. I am currently 221 lbs and have enjoyed the C25K program so far. I am in the 2nd week after a few setbacks and my 5K is on September 24th. I am super nervous about it, but it is for a good cause.
  • pondee629
    pondee629 Posts: 2,469 Member
    collegegirl713 wrote: »
    This is so encouraging. I am also planning on my first 5K. I have been doing the C25K app and I have run into some issues with shin splints. I echo the recommendation on the shoes. I am currently 221 lbs and have enjoyed the C25K program so far. I am in the 2nd week after a few setbacks and my 5K is on September 24th. I am super nervous about it, but it is for a good cause.

    While I understand your anxiety, there is no reason to be nervous much less "super nervous". Between now and September 24th you will have, if not completed your chosen program, gotten very deep therein. You will have figured your best pace, you will have figured when, and how often you will need to walk (their is no problem with walking part, or all, of the course, just be careful when slowing down and get to one side of the course and out of the way) and you will have grown comfortable in your running shoes. Start in the back of the pack at the start, run/walk at your pace, be mindful of people wanting to pass you (let them), smile at the finish for your photo and above all, enjoy the run. Nothing to nervous about. ;-)
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