Tips for my 1st 5K?

jenniferleighvt
jenniferleighvt Posts: 9
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi guys!

I'm in average shape, early 20s, and have never been a good runner, but I am running my 1st 5k on June 16th. What are your tips and suggestions for getting through it? How should I be training in the coming weeks?

My only goals are to: finish the race, run the whole time.

Replies

  • carrollel
    carrollel Posts: 57 Member
    I am 29 not an active runner and was also nervous about my first 5K i just ran last Sunday. My goal was to run the whole time and i never ran more than 2.5miles straight in my life so I was extremely nervous. Well I pushed through and ran the whole thing in 31:05 averaging 10minute miles! It wasnt as bad as I'd imagined (at least in hind sight) and it was fun to run in a group of people who were all running for a good cause. I enjoyed it and surprised myself. Its much more fun and less of a task when you run in a group, outside, for a cause opposed to training on a track or a treadmill :)

    Enjoy it!
  • afigueroa_pr
    afigueroa_pr Posts: 344
    How long do you have till the race?
    There are plenty of apps out there to train for a 5k on your smartphones.
    I used the 5k runner for the iPhone.
    It trains you in 8 weeks to run a 5k
    Slowly but surely you build up endurance.
    I ran my first 5k last Thanksgiving on the Turkey trot.
    Didn't win anything but I managed to cross the finish line.
    That's plenty of motivation for me!!!
    Good luck!
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    Couch to 5k is great - c25k.com - but you wouldn't have enough time to finish the whole thing by June 16th.

    You can try to start in the middle, and see how it goes. Run slowly and have fun!
  • MrsRawwwr
    MrsRawwwr Posts: 166 Member
    Don't get caught up in the initial "sprint" that usually happens at the beginning of the race. Keep it steady, and increase speed as time goes and as your body allows. Best of luck, you'll feel amazing when you cross the finish line!
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
    Without enough time to train through the whole of C25K, I'd map out a 5K route and plan to cover it three times a week. Start mainly walking, add in breif running intervals and walk to recover, rinse and repeat. If you do the running sections slow enough, I'll bet you can run all or most of the 5K by race day! Here are my beginner's running tips, you might find some useful:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/BerryH/view/20-things-i-wish-i-d-known-about-running-when-i-started-103936

    Good luck, and be sure to drop back in to let use know how the training, and the race, goes! :flowerforyou:
  • kleverkira
    kleverkira Posts: 41 Member
    Have fun and don't go out too fast! It an be easy to get caught up in the "race" but just re-focus on your own goals.
  • afigueroa_pr
    afigueroa_pr Posts: 344
    Don't get caught up in the initial "sprint" that usually happens at the beginning of the race. Keep it steady, and increase speed as time goes and as your body allows. Best of luck, you'll feel amazing when you cross the finish line!

    Agreed!! Slow and steady wins the race!
  • dsjohndrow
    dsjohndrow Posts: 1,820 Member
    Every one likes C25K. What I found was connecting the runs without walk. There comes a time when you just need to push through and do it.

    - Get music that helps you pace yourself!
    - Try something like Run Keeper for iPhone of Noom/CardioTrainer for Android. It really helps to know where you are in terms of pace and speed.
    - I like training once a week on the treadmill and set it at my training speeds.

    Don't start fast, don't wear or eat anything you have use didn't training, have fun and use the bathroom before the race.
  • bagge72
    bagge72 Posts: 1,377 Member
    If you have been doing training all along then there isn't much you should change, it's a 5k so you it doesn't put your body through somethings like longer runs do, so it's more like an average 30 minute workout, and just stick with what you do for stretching. Just stay hydrated, but don't drink so much you feel bloated, remember to go to the bathroom before, and just know that it is actually easier than training, and goes by a lot quicker, and is actually more fun! You will have a blast, and I hope they have a good after party! Just remember that if you have been training it is just another run, and don't worry about what you should be eating, or other things people might try to force on you, it's not a marathon. You say you haven't been running for a while anyways, and if you can run 1.5 miles at home you should be able to do a 5k no problem, because of the extra adrenaline, and all of the people around you. With the amount of time you have, I would run at least 3 times a week, with one of those times being an interval training with some HIIT or MIIT to help with your breathing, and getting your lungs up to speed.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    Without enough time to train through the whole of C25K, I'd map out a 5K route and plan to cover it three times a week. Start mainly walking, add in breif running intervals and walk to recover, rinse and repeat. If you do the running sections slow enough, I'll bet you can run all or most of the 5K by race day! Here are my beginner's running tips, you might find some useful:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/BerryH/view/20-things-i-wish-i-d-known-about-running-when-i-started-103936

    Good luck, and be sure to drop back in to let use know how the training, and the race, goes! :flowerforyou:

    Love Berry's ideas!

    Music helps, too. I like to imagine I'm dancing... it helps me push through times when I want to walk. I'll tell myself, "Just keep going through this song... You can keep dancing for one more song!"
  • HauteP1nk
    HauteP1nk Posts: 2,139 Member
    PLAN WHAT TO BRING: Most runners like to plan what outfit to wear, including shoes. Lay your gear out the night before, so you don't forget anything, especially not your race number. Wear what you normally wear in your training runs. This is no time to be braking in new shoes or outfits.

    ARRIVE EARLY: Since this is your first race, you might as well enjoy the total experience and not feel rushed. Arrive at least 45-60 minutes before the scheduled race start. Allow time to warm up and visit the toilet.

    START IN BACK: Don't make the mistake of starting near the front; otherwise you'll spend the first km watching everybody run past you.

    PACE YOURSELF: One reason for starting in back is to avoid running the first km too fast, either because of enthusiasm or because faster runners pull you along.

    WALK BREAKS: Make sure you move to the far right or left before coming to a dead stop to take any walk breaks. Give the people behind you a cue. Raise your arms just before you stop as a signal.


    Do NOT do a hard workout close to race day.
    DO NOT show up late.
    Warm up!
    DO NOT try something new on race day. New shoes, new socks, new pre-race meal, new energy gel……don't do anything new!
    Do NOT over dress! Remember: Your body temp rises at least 10 degrees. So if it is 20 degrees celsius out there, dress for 30 degree temps!
    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.

    GOOD LUCK!
  • HauteP1nk
    HauteP1nk Posts: 2,139 Member
    Oh, and water too!
  • holmevik
    holmevik Posts: 33
    PLAN WHAT TO BRING: Most runners like to plan what outfit to wear, including shoes. Lay your gear out the night before, so you don't forget anything, especially not your race number. Wear what you normally wear in your training runs. This is no time to be braking in new shoes or outfits.

    ARRIVE EARLY: Since this is your first race, you might as well enjoy the total experience and not feel rushed. Arrive at least 45-60 minutes before the scheduled race start. Allow time to warm up and visit the toilet.

    START IN BACK: Don't make the mistake of starting near the front; otherwise you'll spend the first km watching everybody run past you.

    PACE YOURSELF: One reason for starting in back is to avoid running the first km too fast, either because of enthusiasm or because faster runners pull you along.

    WALK BREAKS: Make sure you move to the far right or left before coming to a dead stop to take any walk breaks. Give the people behind you a cue. Raise your arms just before you stop as a signal.


    Do NOT do a hard workout close to race day.
    DO NOT show up late.
    Warm up!
    DO NOT try something new on race day. New shoes, new socks, new pre-race meal, new energy gel……don't do anything new!
    Do NOT over dress! Remember: Your body temp rises at least 10 degrees. So if it is 20 degrees celsius out there, dress for 30 degree temps!
    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.

    GOOD LUCK!

    +1 for this. Enough said.
  • Buettner22
    Buettner22 Posts: 129 Member
    PLAN WHAT TO BRING: Most runners like to plan what outfit to wear, including shoes. Lay your gear out the night before, so you don't forget anything, especially not your race number. Wear what you normally wear in your training runs. This is no time to be braking in new shoes or outfits.

    ARRIVE EARLY: Since this is your first race, you might as well enjoy the total experience and not feel rushed. Arrive at least 45-60 minutes before the scheduled race start. Allow time to warm up and visit the toilet.

    START IN BACK: Don't make the mistake of starting near the front; otherwise you'll spend the first km watching everybody run past you.

    PACE YOURSELF: One reason for starting in back is to avoid running the first km too fast, either because of enthusiasm or because faster runners pull you along.

    WALK BREAKS: Make sure you move to the far right or left before coming to a dead stop to take any walk breaks. Give the people behind you a cue. Raise your arms just before you stop as a signal.


    Do NOT do a hard workout close to race day.
    DO NOT show up late.
    Warm up!
    DO NOT try something new on race day. New shoes, new socks, new pre-race meal, new energy gel……don't do anything new!
    Do NOT over dress! Remember: Your body temp rises at least 10 degrees. So if it is 20 degrees celsius out there, dress for 30 degree temps!
    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.

    GOOD LUCK!

    Im running my first 5k next Saturday so thanks for the tips!!!
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    This is a great post
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/279198-running-tip-so-you-are-about-to-do-your-first-race

    I also like the c25k suggestions. I coach a learn to run group and they run a 5k at the end of the program. They aren't running 5k yet, but the goal is to walk/run.

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