Racing 101

Hello my friends, this weekend I was disappointed with my 5K time, I was disappointed not because I did not do better than others but rather because I know I am capable of doing so much better but I have not been training hard enough. 

I think this is why I love doing races, because they challenge me and I push myself to do better and the ONLY person I am competing against is myself.  After the race I was talking to my teammate and I remember telling her that 33.44 for a 5K is not good for me but I’m satisfied with it considering the fact that a few years ago I didn’t even know what a 5K was (true story).  

This conversation reminded me of the learning curve I went through when I first began to race and I thought I would share some of the things I have learned in hopes that you will see it, get encouraged and do your first race.

My very first race was February 2013 and it was the Love Your Heart 5K, I was nervous the moment I signed up and I immediately went on research mode, well you know Google where else, and looked up everything about 5K’s.  The race was challenging but finishing gave me a feeling of accomplishment that was beyond what words can explain. 

Me running a 5K? what? No? who? Yes me! The woman who spent most of her adult life OBESE ran a 5K and loved it, so here are a few things that I would like to share with you so that you learn from my mistakes:

1.       A 5 K equals 3.1 miles

2.       Eat healthy and drink lots of water the day prior and drink water the morning of the race.

3.       I personally prefer not to eat before a race however, I suggest that you do but something very light.

4.       I know this may seem like common sense to many but Do Not use hair products, smh I did gel and as I began to sweat it  irritated my eyes and it made my hair turn white (yikes)

5.       A PR is a personal records so basically your first 5K is your starting point, after that every time you beat your time you create a new PR.

6.       After you do your first race you will be automatically addicted, the adrenaline rush is addictive and you will want more.  The only thing that will stop you from doing a million races is money lol.

7.       Do not wear anything new during a 5K race ie. new sneakers, new pants, new shirt nothing, make sure you have run with everything prior to the race and you feel comfortable with it.  I ran my first race with a new pair of pants and they kept falling off the entire race, not  fun at all.

8.       A 10K is 6.2 miles and a half marathon is 13.1.

9.       People who run long distance like to use a Garmin, basically it is a watch with a built in GPS that tracks their time and mileage (I do the same with an app on my phone called RunKeeper).  However, the Garmin is better for longer distances like half marathons or marathons because the battery life is longer.

10.   When purchasing sneakers for running, always purchase a half size bigger than what you normally use.

11.   Find a good sock, do not use all cotton socks but do your research as to what will work best for you.

12.     Do not beat yourself up if you can’t run the entire race, walking and running is just fine, I walked a lot on my first race.

13.   You are going to have good races and some bad races so again, do not beat yourself up for that.  There are many factors that play into that, the weather, what you eat, how you rest and many more.  There will be races when you can control your breathing just fine and other times you will barely make the first half mile without feeling like you are going to die but the important thing to do is for you to be ok with that and not feel badly about it.

14.   Find the right sneaker for you, this is very important because they can make or break you on the road.  I made the mistake of looking online and reading some articles about how a “minimalist” shoe was the best so off I went to purchase one of those, the ones with the thinnest soles I found and it was a total fail.  Through trial and error I have found that I do better with a thicker sole, I need the extra support.  However, this may not be the case for you so shop around and find the best fit for you.

15.   The last piece of advise I have is to please stay consistent with your running, even if you just do a few miles a week don’t stop, keep going. 

I hope these small tips help you out a bit and encourage you to keep running, remember everything worth while will have its challenges, but the rewards will absolutely outweigh them.

Now go, get running and tell me all about it!