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Hi everyone!
I’ve been working out/running/lifting since the end of May, and have lost 51lbs...... Lately, I’ve been running on my treadmill, at an incline of 4, for about 20 minutes, doing interval training (jog, run, run faster, RUN!, jog, repeat...), and then finishing out with an incline between 2.5 and 4 and a speed of 5.2-5.7 to finish out at least a 5K. Sometimes, like yesterday, I’ll go on to finish 4.25 miles....sometimes I won’t.
Anyway, I just regestered for my first 5K for Thursday morning at 7am. EEEEK! I’m nervous!
I’m afraid of letting myself down! I’m afraid I’m not ready & I won’t do very well. I’m a bit perfectonistic, and don’t want to get “down” or knocked off course because I needed a reality check. Know what I mean? (Get a grip, woman! I know....)
It’s supposed to be a HIGH of 38 degrees that day, with a 40% chance of flurries, too. YIKES! I have NO idea what to wear.
I have no idea how to pace myself for this.
I have no idea what the heck I’m thinking! Will it be lots harder on pavement than on the treadmill?
Please share any tips you might have..I could really use them!
Thanks!
~Lisa
Put on your tunes, even if you gave to hum one. Imagine the feeling at each K mark. Only 4 more, 3 more. I can do this. This is great. It’s only (5) 1K runs. Shoot, “I can do a 1K in my PJ’s”
Imagine yourself having already completed the 5K right now. You’re standing there, stretching, feeling the sense of accomplishment. The air has a chill, but you don’t feel it, because your body temp is cooking from the run. Stretch the hamstrings. Stretch the quads. Stretch the calves. Feel the relaxation pour all over you. Calming you into a peaceful resting state.
Now that you’ve already done it, all you have to do is “Show up”
BTW, I used this technique this summer on back-to-back centuries (Cycling.) It really works.
I’m looking forward to a full report after the run.
Don’t overdress. Keep your ears, hands and feet warm, and let your bodyheat do the rest. Eat good, and relax. You WILL succeed. 5K compared to 51 lbs - “That’s a walk in the park - girl.”
ahhh yes I agree!! It’s the law of attraction - if you can see yourself and feeel yourself completing it, then you’ll be feeling so good that you WILL be able to do it!
Congratulations on taking the first and hardest step - you registered for the event Woo Hoo!!!!!
Lots of people can give you the technical advice, but here is some advice for your head - go for it, have fun, allow yourself to do the best you can, and be very proud of your accomplishment. When it’s easy, people can just cruse through the event and get some exercise, but not much growth. When it seems hard (seems is the important word because frequently it’s just the perception, not the reality that makes it hard) then you grow, learn, get stronger, and really accomplish something.
I like visualization, see yourself finishing strong. I also like preparation - go out and run outdoors whenever possible to get the feel of what it will be like. Above all, just show up and do your best.
I say that you know more than you think. You know how your body feels on the treadmill, so in the race you should be able to tell if you’re pacing yourself properly or not. You still have time to get in a work out before the race, so go out and run in a local park to see how it feels vs. the treadmill and to get a little bit of a better idea of how you’re already pacing yourself. Also do some mental prep to avoid letting yourself down on race day. There are some ideas for that in my thread about my second 5K. If I can go from being a guy who couldn’t run 3 blocks to catch a bus last summer, to finishing second in my age group in my second 5K, then you should do fine. Good luck!
Superb job Lisa! You are going to have a great race. I can’t wait to hear about it. I think you will be pleasantly surprised by your feelings when you cross the finish line. I think you’ll want to do it again.
You asked about pacing and I have found that it can be tempting to get sucked with the pack at the front into a pace that is too fast. You could consider negative splits, where you run each mile faster. Since it is your first race I would say just have fun, if you “red line” or have trouble breathing because you go to hard bring it back to a managable pace. When you can see the finish line charge and give it everything you have left! Most of all have fun. I’ve made some friends at races and most people are freiendly and will share advice with you. When you get home after the race take notes, what the weather was like, what you wore, what you ate, drank. How you felt. What you would do differently. Do it while it is fresh in your mind and then you have something to work with for the next time.
Thanks so much, everyone! I’m not big into “family” holidays, since my family is all out of town...and, I’m really excited that this will give me something to look forward to! Thanks for all the advice - 7 am is coming fast! I’ll report back tomorrow!
Yes! I think it’ll work out well for me. It’s supposed to be a high of 42 tomorrow, with the Turkey Trot being at 7am. However, the low for tonight is 38, so I’m thinking it shouldn’t be much colder than that in the am. I hear that you’re supposed to dress for 15-20 degrees warmer than the actual temperature, so as not to overheat. So, I bought a pair of lightweight Northface polyester fleece-esque pants, a Nike FitDry long sleeve v-neck t, and a Nike polyester/fleecy/lightweight pullover, and a ear/head band. Think that’ll keep me in good shape? The FitDry is VERY lightweight - I’m afraid that if I want to peel off the fleece that I’ll freeze in the FitDry? What do you think? (I can’t wear EVERYTHING in my closet! LOL)
I think it sounds good. If you get hot you can always wrap and tie one shirt around you waist. If you have a lightweight jacket you could throw that in your car just in case it gets windy. You could also take your winter coat in for after the race. If you stay and have snacks or wait to hear the awards you might want a heavy coat. Better to bring stuff and leave it in the car, than wish you had it.
Thanks, Donna! I do have one other windbreaker-type pullover that I can chuck in the car, and will bring my winter coat, too...just in case! Thanks for that! I’m SOOO excited/anxious! I’ve been trying to visualize, but it’s hard because I don’t really know the race route, etc. So, I’m coming up with all the “OWWWWW, this SUCKS!” scenarios, and trying to rehearse my way through them ahead of time. *Smiles*
Thanks again, everyone!
~Lisa
Wow, I had forgotten that you said Thursday and not Friday morning for the event. I had read your post on a previous day, but I waited to reply because I was kind of busy. So I was too late to advise you to get in one more run, sorry about that.
The advice you’ve gotten on dressing is good. I ran my first 5K in a dri-fit long sleeved shirt and dri-fit pants. The temp was around 40, but I didn’t freeze. In my last race it was about 10 degrees warmer. I was expecting it to be colder that morning, so I wore the dri-fit shirt again, but I wore a pair of sweats with it. I still felt ok, even after the race.
Let me know if your nose runs a little due to the cold weather. Mine did on the first race and I found it odd since I hardly ever get sick, not even with a runny nose. I can’t wait to hear how you do in the race. Good luck tomorrow!
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! I’m so excited, I could hardly sleep - afraid I’d sleep through it this morning. Here I GOOOO! Thanks for all the great advice!
I did it! I finished in 31:36, and could have definitely pushed harder, had I known what I was up against. It was dark, cold, and drizzly...but that made it even better! Thanks so much for all the support - I’m all giddy & excited. Bring on the next one!
Congratulations on finishing your first 5K. You did better than I did on my first one, cool! If you ever want to come down to Arkansas, especially Hot Springs, and run a 5K then let me know so I can say hello.
I’ll report back tomorrow!
