How to prepare for a 5K

tiffany5839
tiffany5839 Posts: 104 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I have my first 5K on Saturday and I was wondering if I should still be doing my regular workouts everyday leading up to it or if I need to rest up for it and take it easy a little. My hamstring kept tightening up while running a couple days ago and my hip is sore( it usually always is when I run). I want to have as much energy for Sat. as possible and don't want to be sore or stiff but I also don't want to sacrifice burning all my calories this week. Thanks!

Replies

  • yesthistime
    yesthistime Posts: 2,051 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3386-ultimate-5k-runners
  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
    Take a rest day on Friday, walk if you want to but don't run. Save up the energy for Sat. Before Friday you can do your normal workouts except skip the speed work if you have been doing any. Just run easy so you don't add extra fatigue to your legs that won't be gone by Saturday.
  • tiffany5839
    tiffany5839 Posts: 104 Member
    I usually take a 75 min. "boot camp" type class on Wens and Fri morning so i was wondering if I should continue to go to those this week or if that would wear me out too much for the race Sat. I have been slightly sore lately, nothing too bad but a little tight.
  • redtim22
    redtim22 Posts: 144
    Good luck to you I'm doing a 5k Easter Sunday!! My first 5k!!
  • wisebadger53
    wisebadger53 Posts: 382 Member
    Bump

    For later...working up to my first 5k as well.
  • Kirsty_UK
    Kirsty_UK Posts: 964 Member
    I did my first 5k on sunday. I'd suggest you skip boot camp on friday, but that's only what I would do, and you might be fitter than me!

    My advice for your race
    - run your own race, noone elses, that means run at your pace, dont care who over takes you, if everyone goes out faster than you, or whatever
    - trust your instincts on the warm up - the run I went too had what I think was a stupidly long warm up, followed by static stretching, to me that was dumb, so I ignored it and did a my usual walk/slow jog round the car park for the 10mins before the race
    - think of it as "just another run" if you think you might have nerves or fears on the day

    and most of all, enjoy it!!!
  • HauteP1nk
    HauteP1nk Posts: 2,139 Member
    These were the tips from my run instructor for the week of my first 5km race:

    1. HYDRATE HYDRATE HYDRATE! Drink half your body weight in ounces per day at least a week before your race. DO NOT DRINK COFFEE.

    2. Don't run a few days before your race. By running hard within 3 days before a race, you risk delayed-onset muscle soreness, increase the likelihood of fatigue, and reduce muscle glycogen levels. Studies show a taper before a race can lead to dramatic improvement in performance.

    3. Make sure to warm up the day of your race! To warm up properly, try 20-30 minutes of easy jogging - followed by a light stretching.

    4. DO NOT try something new on race day. Don't wear any new shoes, new socks, new pre-race meal, new energy gel……etc, etc etc - you get the idea - stick with what you know works! Use something new in an important race, and you're courting disaster.

    5. DO NOT get a massage the night before your race. It can take your muscles a few days to recover - especially from a deep tissue massage. Get a massage AFTER your race.

    6. DO NOT take up any NEW activities/sports/exercises the week before your race (could cause muscle fatigue/soreness for your race day).

    7. Remember - DO NOT run someone else's race. Early in a race, you instinctively want to match the pace of those around you (after all, who wants to be dropped?). But when you let someone else dictate your race pace, it's easy to ignore your body's signals and run too fast too soon. Have a pacing plan before you start, then stick to it. When the gun goes off, focus inward,stay relaxed, and trust your ability to pace yourself.
  • tiffany5839
    tiffany5839 Posts: 104 Member
    yea it's pretty exciting considering 2 miles is the most I've ever ran and that was when I was younger. It took me about 31 minutes to do the 5k when I practiced last. I'd love to run it in 30 min. or less if my hip, knees, and hamstring pain stays away! What's funny is what used to stop me from running in the past was I couldn't ever catch my breath and now that's not even a problem anymore, just my sore wore out body! haha
  • tammihart
    tammihart Posts: 953 Member
    Bump for my first 5k in a few months. There is some great advice on here! Thanks
  • tiffany5839
    tiffany5839 Posts: 104 Member
    oh yea and I have ashma and allergies on top of it. Just hoping everything goes good for my first race! I have a feeling I might push it harder since it's a race verses on my own! I plan to do a decent pace the first half of the race and try to pick it up more the 2nd half. It's always the hardest for me when I get going it seems.
  • dls1957
    dls1957 Posts: 34 Member
    HOW DO YOU TEACH YOURSELF TO BREATH RIGHT. I ALWAYS FEEL LIKE I AM HYPERVENTILATING AND I HAVE TO STOP.
  • tiffany5839
    tiffany5839 Posts: 104 Member
    If I hear myself start to breath really short and quickly, I try to take deep breaths in and out slowly and try to relax my breathing. They say to breath in deeply through your nose but I breath through my mouth more. I feel I can get a deeper breath in that way.
    Also listening to an ipod or something makes me unable to hear how hard I'm breathing and actually helps me to not notice it. Sometimes hearing myself breath harder would make me panic more and not relax thinking about whether I could finish my run or not.

    I take my inhaler right before I run so I know this makes a huge difference since my chest tends to tighten up easily. Also my fitness level has probably gotten better because my first few weeks of running were VERY hard and I couldn't catch my breath as much.

    Wow has that improved. Now I worry more about my legs hurting than whether or not I can breath! You will get better! I used to despise running and just thought it wasn't for me. I kind of enjoy it now. I like to run with a friend for motivation.

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