My first 5K

After spending only about 3 weeks preparing for a race that most people spend months on, the day finally came where I had to wake up at 6:55 on a Sunday morning to run 3.1 miles. I dragged my friend Meghan to do it with me since it was located in the town she lives in. She rocked it by the way, bystanders probably thought she was the one that made me do it.

The race actually went really well and I do not regret signing up at all. Despite, losing almost $50, I would do it again in a heartbeat. We got a shirt, glass, grapes, two granola bars, and a cookie. I’m disappointed we didn't win a medal, but I guess 39 minutes didn't make the top three. Fun fact the guy in 1st place finished all 3.1 miles in 15 minutes...

To prepare for the race, I went to the gym any chance I could get. If I didn't work, I went to the gym immediately after school. I would spend about 1 1/2 hours here doing cardio, strength exercises, and yoga to cool down. I did not follow any strict plan but Pinterest did quickly become my best friend. I made a 5K training board and repinned as many treadmill related workouts I can find. Rather it was an actual training plan or just a simple workout, I put it in the board.

When I first started getting ready for the race, I would do an hour of cardio in total. That consisted of 20 minutes on the elliptical, 20 minutes on the treadmill, and 20 minutes on a stationary bike. As the race got closer, I spent more time on the treadmill than any other equipment. My ultimate goal was to use it until I reached 3.1 miles while running and walking. The most I ran at one sitting was 1.6 miles, which was a huge accomplishment for me. I still did strength exercises but did not focus on them as much as I did when I first began going to the gym.

Finally, the day arrived. It was only about 29 degrees the morning of the race, so I wore the shirt they gave us, a shirt underneath that, and 2 pairs of leggings. For breakfast, I had a bowl of oatmeal and Meghan had a bagel with peanut butter.

When the race began, we were really strong with our running. We did a mixture of running and walking the entire time, but we always had a stationary object to tell us when to start running again. We used light posts, signs, the cop cars blocking the road, and basically anything else in our view. When there was only ½ a mile left, I sprinted towards the finish line.

Now that the race is over, I again use all three cardio equipment rather than just the treadmill. I follow workouts on Pinterest for all of them and then heavily focus on my muscles again. As we get closer to the next 5K I will be running, the treadmill will be my only focus.

Our stats:

Me: 39:04 384th place

Meghan: 39:06 385th place

We will be running our second 5K in April and I will be walking my first one the day after.

Thanks for reading,

Elisa (:

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