First ever 5K-Mission Accomplished!

Well, tonight was the night....my first ever 5k!  It was a "pi/pie" run at a local food festival here in town, so the distance was 3.14 miles (*rimshot*). I have to admit that I'm going off an adrenaline rush, so to say that I really had a good time was an understatement.  I did not jog the whole time, but I did run for about 3/4 of it...not bad at all for a first time 5k if you ask me.  I felt really good about doing this, especially since I had a HARD fall on my run a few days beforehand.  I was running in a local park, where I tripped and fell flat on my front. I ended up getting bumps and bruises on my arms and elbows, and really jamming my left hand.  Considering that I'm a musician, and write left handed, that was a major blow.  Of course, I also know better than tell off Karma that I wans't going to trip (like I did on the run before THAT), because we all know that she is, and what she's capable of doing. 

So anyways, I found the whole run to be very fun,and much more entertaining than my usual runs.  Everyone was also super supportive, which was great, and it was so nice to hear cheers from the sidelines.  As I said, I did walk a few times throughout the race. I mostly walked at the water/pie stop areas (I did have one small slice of pie, as it was a "pie run"), and there was one point where I did get very tired towards the end of the second mile.  I allowed myself to walk a few blocks, but when I saw the volunteers towards the end of the race, I made myself jog again, and finished it out.  Plus, it also helped that I had a song on my ipod in which the lyrics were, "Don't stop. The party doesn't start until I walk in." (Ke$ha's "Tik Tok"), so those gave me the boost I needed to finish the race.

For those who have never done a 5k, and am considering it...or even just wondering what it's like...give it a shot!  I did find it helpful to train with a C25K program on my ipod by ZenLabs (freebie), but do whatever will get you going.  I also highly recommend doing an un-timed/fun race for your first time, or maybe first few races. With this race, I found those I was running with to be very supportive and encouraging. Some of the people went by themselves (like myself), and some had a few friends, or even their children.  There were a few runners in the front, with most people jogging, and some walkers in the back.  It is TOTALLY okay to walk if you need to! If you need to, run with your ipod, but I also found it great to wave at people as they watched us, and even thanking those who were helping direct traffic. This was because without them, the race wouldn't happen, nor be as safe for us. Whatever you do, run through the finish line, and pat yourself on the back for finishing!  Trust me, it will be totally worth it. :)