5K – Tips and Tricks!

We did it! We ran/jogged our first 5K! And the best part is – WE LOVED IT! We are hooked. And that is saying something, coming from me. I am not a runner/jogger. Wasn’t thrilled about it prior to having kids and still wasn’t convinced after I had kids. Until I began seeing pictures of all my friends on facebook and in blog land completing 5Ks, 10Ks, half marathons, marathons, Iron Man’s, Ragnars. And – dang – they looked good! Most looked pretty happy, too. So I decided to give running a 5K a try – but just once.I solicited advice from the experts – my running friends and family – and took as much of it as I could. Here are a few of their tips:1. Clip your toe nails the night before – check! No toe nail problems race day. Invest it a good nail clipper like the Seki Edge. Believe me – if you are doing a lot of running, it’s worth it.

2. Don’t drink too much water while running – check!

3. Eat healthy during the week – check!

4. Go to bed at a good time the night before – thanks honey for getting up with the kiddos!

5. Eat an energy bar on the way there/eat a good breakfast. I ate my yummy organic oatmeal and had a banana – definitely gave me good fuel for the race!

6. Always make a goal – I haven’t even ran outside since high school unless you count chasing my toddler. I did train some on the treadmill. So I didn’t set my goal too high – 45 minutes. MY BIG goal was to finish and LOVE it so I would want to go again. This was definitely achieved. I did push myself, I finished at 45 minutes, and I kept my heart rate up somewhat. Now I have a time to beat!

7. Start at the back of the crowd so you don’t feel bad when the super fast people pass you. We did do this and since the race had chips it worked fine for us.

7. Run in actual sports attire. I went to Runner’s Corner and bought myself a runner’s skirt. Can’t begin to say how much I love it. It is SO SO SO comfortable. Much better than my mommy capris. I did wear just the race t-shirt, but I may be brave and get a nice running shirt next time. I splurged on running socks, too, and they made a huge difference. No sweaty feet or blisters which my sister had problems with – the blister part.

8. Bring a small piece of candy, protein bar, or Shot Blok for the seocnd mile. I bought some Shot Bloks and they were yummy! All three of us enjoyed one at the second mile and I definitely pushed it at the end.

9. Relax, enjoy the run, and don’t stress. Done and done. We loved it! Ready to push ourselves even more next time.

10. Invest in a good sports bra. Wouldn’t have even been running without this. After nursing two babies … definite must.

Some helpful pieces of advice that I will try next time:

1. Make sure your shoes are a half size bigger than normal. So I was running in my sister’s old cheerleading shoes. They seemed to be work fine and they were definitely a half size bigger. My ankles were sore the day after the race so I perhaps I will invest in some nifty little running shoes.

2. Always breathe in and out on your left foot (when your left foot hits the ground).
My sister and I may or may not have had little chatting breaks as we speed walked … during my next official 5K I will focus on this more.

3. Do twenty minutes of stretches. Major OOPS! We were so busy talking about how excited we were to do our first 5K that we completely forgot to stretch. Definitely felt that the first mile. Our poor bodies.