First 5K tomorrow!
hjsportsed1
Posts: 52 Member
Running/walking first 5K tomorrow. I am only in week 3 of Couch to 5K program, but this event was something I really wanted to do, thus I know I will not be able to run it all, but I still look forward to the challenge. Any tips for a first timer?
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Replies
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Just do what you can do, try not to get caught up in what might be a race atmosphere. After that, just enjoy yourself.4
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Congrats! Just keep a pace that doesn't wreck you and you'll be fine. The pump of doing a race will make you want to do more, which is good until it isn't. Enjoy!3
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At the beginning every one, including you will be super pumped up and start out waaaay too fast, lol. You can do it as well, just make sure you start slowing down to a more approriate pace BEFORE you get to the point you feel like dying. And then just do your best and enjoy crossing that finish line!
(I guess if it's a huge event, it may not start that fast if you're surrounded by hundreds of people, but I never do anything that big so I haven't experienced it)3 -
Good luck and have fun!
And yes the start is always pretty crazy and people really go FULL OUT, tell yourself you need to maintain a speed for the entire race not run faster than you ever have in the first 1 to keep up
Even knowing that it is hard to keep to one's speed! 2 -
As others have said, try not to get too carried away by the race atmosphere and go sprinting off like crazy (almost impossible advice to follow). Walk if and when you have to and try to pace yourself so you don't burn out before you finish.
If you're anything like me then this is the beginning of a new addiction, there's no going back lol2 -
eleanorhawkins wrote: »As others have said, try not to get too carried away by the race atmosphere and go sprinting off like crazy (almost impossible advice to follow). Walk if and when you have to and try to pace yourself so you don't burn out before you finish.
If you're anything like me then this is the beginning of a new addiction, there's no going back lol
Yes, totally new experience. I can see it being addicting. I kind of feel like Happy Gilmore playing golf, totally out of my element at this point.
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Enjoy it. Immerse yourself in the experience.1
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No need for any advice other than to have fun.2
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Pace yourself and remember to smile when you cross the finish line.2
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Have fun, but don't be last. JK3
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Pace yourself. With all of the excitement, you'll want to start off REALLY fast. If you do, you might be gassed before end of the race. Try to stay at a pace where you're comfortable and don't let the people around you dictate how fast you run or walk. It's your race. Good luck and have fun!1
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enjoy yourself
don't make the mistake most of us make with our first race and go out too fast.
have fun0 -
If you're not planning on winning the race, there's no need to line up near the front of the pack. There may be some general suggestion for where to stand based on your expected finishing time - I find that it's probably better to be optimistic, but not unrealistic when selecting the appropriate placement in the starting corral. There will always be walkers who do not follow pace suggestions at all. Try not to trip over the little kid who starts at a sprint right in front of you, but then 100 yards in turns around abruptly to look for his mom, who is walking, somewhere behind you.
Once the pack has thinned a little, you'll still want to move to the side of the road before you slow for a walk break. Don't be the little kid who stops abruptly in front of another runner.
Etiquette aside, enjoy the race. Everyone's right about trying not to go out too fast. I get the jitters beforehand, and that turns into adrenaline when the race starts, and it takes a minute for everything to settle down.
Don't forget to come back and tell us how it went.3 -
Do your best and have fun!0
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L1zardQueen wrote: »Have fun, but don't be last. JK
Why is there a stigma attached to being last? Such comments are demeaning towards every one who ever was last. You should feel proud if you're last! You probably just made a bigger accomplishment than the person who was first.7 -
L1zardQueen wrote: »Have fun, but don't be last. JK
Why is there a stigma attached to being last? Such comments are demeaning towards every one who ever was last. You should feel proud if you're last! You probably just made a bigger accomplishment than the person who was first.
I have been last in a race, I didn’t even get a T-shirt, they ran out. I didn’t care about coming in last, because I still had fun but the T-shirt! Ugh.
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L1zardQueen wrote: »L1zardQueen wrote: »Have fun, but don't be last. JK
Why is there a stigma attached to being last? Such comments are demeaning towards every one who ever was last. You should feel proud if you're last! You probably just made a bigger accomplishment than the person who was first.
I have been last in a race, I didn’t even get a T-shirt, they ran out. I didn’t care about coming in last, because I still had fun but the T-shirt! Ugh.
Those *kitten*!1 -
I ran my first 5K last month. And while I did finish respectably, I struggled with pacing all the way through. (I had one session a week with a group, where I could just follow the lead trainer during the run intervals. The two sessions per week I did on my own time were a different story.) I found that what kept me moving and kept me from going all out was repeating in my head:
"This is a run, not a race*. It's about endurance, not speed. Just because someone's ahead of you on the track doesn't mean you have to speed up to pass them. This is your first run; you're doing this to set a personal best to beat next time. You do you."
*Yes, I KNOW it's really a race, but if I think about it that way, I know that I WILL use up everything I have in the first hundred meters. I told myself what I had to in order to keep something in the tank.7 -
L1zardQueen wrote: »L1zardQueen wrote: »Have fun, but don't be last. JK
Why is there a stigma attached to being last? Such comments are demeaning towards every one who ever was last. You should feel proud if you're last! You probably just made a bigger accomplishment than the person who was first.
I have been last in a race, I didn’t even get a T-shirt, they ran out. I didn’t care about coming in last, because I still had fun but the T-shirt! Ugh.
That "is" a good reason not to come in last! That would make me unhappy, but I've always gotten my t-shirt at packet pickup, not based on finish. Usually as long as you sign up by a certain date you're guaranteed a shirt. But once my friend's shirt had the design printed crooked and she didn't realize it til she got home and too late to trade it in!1 -
L1zardQueen wrote: »L1zardQueen wrote: »Have fun, but don't be last. JK
Why is there a stigma attached to being last? Such comments are demeaning towards every one who ever was last. You should feel proud if you're last! You probably just made a bigger accomplishment than the person who was first.
I have been last in a race, I didn’t even get a T-shirt, they ran out. I didn’t care about coming in last, because I still had fun but the T-shirt! Ugh.
That "is" a good reason not to come in last! That would make me unhappy, but I've always gotten my t-shirt at packet pickup, not based on finish. Usually as long as you sign up by a certain date you're guaranteed a shirt. But once my friend's shirt had the design printed crooked and she didn't realize it til she got home and too late to trade it in!
It was a mud run, so TShirts were given out after the race. Someone miss counted.
ETA. Typo1 -
Way to go committing to your first race! Do your best, run some/walk some, stay hydrated, and have fun!1
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It's been more than a year since I did a 5K. The recently arrived preacher at my local congregation is a big time fitness enthusiast who has lost a hundred or so pounds since his some kind of cardiac assist device implant. He's organized 5K races for the church. I missed the first one last month because I got lost and couldn't find his house. This time is at a different location and I've got a GPS. I'm easily 20+ years older than all the runners and will be dragging up the rear, but by golly not by much. There's no t-shirt, but it's free and there's a bathroom available.6
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Well, how did it go?
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AllanMisner wrote: »Well, how did it go?
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10695521/ran-my-first-5k-this-morning#latest
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It's not a "race" but a group run. Enjoy the crowd, enjoy the atmosphere, enjoy the excitement, enjoy everything about the event. No matter what happens, this, being your first, will be a personal best in "competition". Enjoy.1
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L1zardQueen wrote: »Have fun, but don't be last. JK
Pretty much every running race I've been part of, and there have been many, the people coming in last get a round of applause for the effort they have put in and their achievement.
Runners are a nice bunch generally.1
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