Follow up to first 5K

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hipkat
hipkat Posts: 6 Member
Thanks to all of you for your encouragement before my first 5K back in April! It went well, in spite of the cold and snow....not unusual around these parts. I achieved my goal of just running the whole way and had a great time.

I then impulsively signed up for another one a few weeks later and hacked 5 minutes off my time!!! It was a super flat course and I had the most motivating running partner! (Hi, leeleeleaf!) Soooo...now, I'm hooked. I've got a five-miler, one-miler and another 5K planned in the next few months.

How often do you plan races? I'm trying to limit it to once a month and nothing long, since I'm new to this. Any ideas?

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  • mmk137
    mmk137 Posts: 833 Member
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    it's up to you.

    I went from a 5k race to 11.5 and in 13 days a 1/2 marathon.
    After my 1/2 it will be a 10k, and I'm hoping to get a sub 55min time.

    At the end of the day it's up to you.

    But if you have never done long distances before you need to ease yourself into it. That being said with only 3 running days a year I have built up from 5km to 1/2 marathon from 1st April to 1st July, so it's possible.
  • lisapr123
    lisapr123 Posts: 863 Member
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    Congrats! Personally, I shoot for four a year. This year it was a winter one (Feb--20 degrees and snowing), one for the 4th of July (this Wednesday), my favorite 5k which is the Chicago Blackhakwks event (in September) and one more (probably Thanksgiving Day). It's often enough to keep me training and to see changes in results.

    I have friends that do them nearly every week. It just gets really expensive to do lots of races, so I pick my favorites and go for them only.
  • hipkat
    hipkat Posts: 6 Member
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    It does get expensive fast...
    I've been thinking about adding in my first half this fall and I'm hesitating. I'm not sure why. My biggest excuse is that I still have a breastfed baby at home and it is a super lot of energy to both nurse and train in addition to working. But the thing is...I really like running. I swear it makes me a nicer mom and wife. And I like that the races keep me motivated. It was over two months between my last one and my next one and I'm feeling like that has been too long. Live and learn, I guess.
  • CaseyAllyssa
    CaseyAllyssa Posts: 19 Member
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    I ran my first 5k yesterday, and I know what you mean when you say you're hooked. I'm already looking for my next one. Running with all those people and crossing the finish line... such a good feeling!