(Written on October 7, 2023.) I ran my first 5K today! Ran is a bit of a stretch – I never stopped and never walked, so guessing that counts as running. That was my goal – to run the entire 3.10 miles. I didn’t have a time goal – just distance. I haven’t trained to go fast – just long. I don’t know my split time per mile because I forgot to pause my app at the end, but it was 46:28.5 minutes total for the 5K. That’s my normal pace, 4 miles per hour. I’m happy with that!
Running is obviously a strenuous activity, so please check with your healthcare provider before racing, especially if you’ve been inactive or have health conditions.
I learned so much from this experience:
- Don’t stop to talk to someone on the sidelines. Some lady pulled up in her SUV and yelled something to me. I couldn’t hear her, so I moved over to her, a bit off the course, paused and asked her what she said. Apparently it was “Keep going!” Oops!
- Bring my own water. No, they did not run out, but I’m used to sipping every 1/3 to 1/2 mile as my throat gets dry from all that heavy breathing. I only asked if there would be water, not how often there would be water stations.
- Do not start at the back so as to not inconvenience others. Start around the middle I’d say. Although on the bright side, it was fun to pass by people!
- It’s so much easier to drink from a water bottle than a paper cup. Plus I felt that I had to carry that cup around with me. Didn’t want to litter! Slowing down to sip adds a bit of time.
- Don’t turn around and run backwards to see who is behind you. I didn’t get hurt or anything – I was lucky! Still, this would add a little time. Fun to do though.
Great to experience doing a race that was not stressful – it was fun 🤩 I was a little nervous the day before, but it was very low key. They were very kind to me as a breast cancer survivor. Really, they were kind to everyone but they made me feel special.
Will I do this again? Absolutely! I already had a race scheduled for December, but I just added another for Halloween. Cannot wait! What to wear?
I hope you will consider trying a new form of exercise to help maintain your healthy weight.
Maintain Weight Loss 