Running Your First 5k (3.1 miles).



"Imagine the feeling of this"



You must be thinking,” Hell no I’ am not ready for a race”. But you are if you have ran over 3 miles before. This can really help you prepare for a Marathon because you get the same experience but in a smaller version. After running a 5k you would be able to overcome the excitement.  I mean the thousands of people by the starting line yelling and cheering for all the runners. This causes a rush of adrenaline to go through your body making you want to gun it at the beginning. However, after you learn your lesson, like I did, you would make sure to stay at your pace or run fast but not too fast. Having some races around my belt helped me figure out the limit of my own body, which you would need to know if you want to be happy with your first Marathon.

My first 5k was called, Skirt Chasers, which was a really fun race. The race started with the women in skirts then the men chasing after them, as the title explains. Well as the race began a feeling came over me giving me a mindset that I would be able to sprint the whole race. My mind lied, 11 minutes into the race the lower half of my body just shut down on me leaving me stranded at the half way marker. I finished the race in 33 minutes but if I would have at least stayed around my pace I would have finished in 24 minutes. This is why you need to make mistakes so you can learn from them, trust me seeing old ladies passing me by throughout the whole race made me learn my lesson the hard way.

Some tips for a 5k:

1.      Overcome that stupid feeling of wanting to gun it at the beginning.

Result: No old ladies passing you by and a good chip time.

2.      Drink a lot of water two days before the race.

Result: Body more hydrated so less water breaks and prevents cramping.

3.      DO NOT WEAR NEW SHOES.

Result: Preventing big, nasty, horrible blisters on the bottom of your feet.