My first 5K coming up

MeganSWoods

I have my first 5K race this Monday for Labor Day. I was wondering if anyone has some advice for me-- work outs leading up to the race, what to eat, anything special to do right before or after? Basically any tips about anything! Thanks for helping out a newbie! :-)

killagb

Pace yourself at the start would be the best advice I could give from what I already know. It can be all too easy to get caught up with everyone taking off quickly and tire yourself too fast. I would stick with lighter carbs and protein before hand and lean protein during/after. Congrats on doing this, take pictures! :bigsmile:

CaptainGordo

If it's in the morning, I like to make sure that I've been awake and moving around enough to get my bodily processes moving before the race. Nothing worse than your body wanting to, well... poop in the middle of a race.

Other than that, HAVE FUN!

akgrl1020

Hydrate! Good luck! I ran my first 5k this year, and loved it!

janiecorona

I'm trying to run a 5K too! I'm barely up to a mile without stopping and that kills me. My race isn't until February, so I have plenty of time to work up to it. Good luck! Just don't start off too fast.(:

mothernature30

make sure you stay hydrated during the race. I agree with killagb and make sure you pace yourself. I did my second one this and made the mistake of starting out too fast. I wasn't doing so well close to the end. Good luck and have fun!!

outersoul

Find someone that you can keep pace with. Let the faster runners go by you. Don't get caught up in the mad dash at the beginning.

kdiamond

Agree with above. I'm not a runner and I don't pretend to be one either. Don't worry about what others around you are doing, just set your own pace and stick with it.

MeganSWoods

Thanks for the suggestions!

For an update on how it went:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/335419-i-crushed-it