How I ran a 5K

I remember waaaay back running on my Cross Country Team and wondering to myself...

"How do I run a 5K, if I've never run one before?"

 I was literally plunked with a bunch of elite runners and told to run! (The run seemed to last forever!) It turned out to be about 5 kilometers!

Meanwhile I had never even run a whole neighbourhood block, let alone a 5K.

This experience felt overwhelming!

I remember my first running steps...  Galloping people sprinting past me as I rushed breathlessly,through gnarly trails. My jaws were tensed, teeth grimaced as I carefully tried not to get trampled by other runners!
This memory still haunts me at the start of a race and I have to stop myself from grinding :(

The possibility of me finishing a 5K successfully seemed far and few between. This was a crippling first day. I finished feeling distraught, throwing up and not wanting to go back. EVER! Needless to say, something inside me said to keep going and I've been running for over 30 years.

Quite happily I might add!

I felt I was never going to be good at running a 5K without pain!

I spent the better part of the entire first season suffering in a place where I felt I was never going to be good at running a 5K without pain!

 It was a bit demoralizing, because I was a sporty person and I felt I should be able to do this!

Running a Comfortable 5K

Conquering running comfortably and happily truly took a lot of thinking and research ... 

So... I meticulously set up my own program with the plan to achieve my 5K goal. I made a more sensible plan by making it a  gradual program, I figured this would make it a heck of a lot more gentler on me. At the time I hadn't realized how great this would become. 

 I was quietly determined and was going to reach my goal! Little did I know the program set up, was the easy part. Learning to run comfortably had me to dig deep at times and believe... Nevertheless following my plan wasn't hard and the best part was the challenge because It was FUN instead of self-defeating!

 I think back and realize how grateful I was to be able to go through this journey.

 Running longer than a 5K! 

By the time I finished training for a 5K, I decided to do more and loved the longer distance training. One day I entered in a 10K race just for fun and followed another home-made plan. I surprised myself at how well I felt, I caught the bug for running...

Running has become a staple in my life and I can't imagine what my life would have been like, if I hadn't found running.

 (What an excellent stress reliever!)

My 50K Running Accomplishment!

Recently I accomplished running 5 times the distance I did as a teenager. I first didn't believe it was possible, but like the last time, I wouldn't take "NO" for an answer.
 I ran those 50 kilometers with a vengeance, ALL in one day!
 On my 50th Birthday  I ran my 50K and completed it in 6 hours, 14 minutes and 18 seconds. 
I surprised myself, finishing 45 minutes sooner than I thought and felt great!

How did I run a 50K?

I followed the same procedure that I followed back when I was in highschool. I knew my goal, all I needed was the map

(the plan) to take me there. So I did it!

 

The biggest mistake most people make in learning to run is running too fast, too much and too soon. These mistakes could have you never running again.

All it takes to learn to run a 5K is patience, valuable directions and a great goal and you will become successful at running anything in life.

Here are a few hints to get you started running a 5K.

• Walk before you run for 10 minutes 
• Run for 30 seconds. Go back to a walk for 2 to 3 minutes and repeat up to 30 minutes! That's it for your 30 minute training run/walk!
• Always walk 10 minutes after your session so your body can go back to normal.  Make sure you involve at least 10 minutes of stretches in the end to calm down tight muscles.
• Think positively. Remind yourself you are new and give yourself a chance to do well! Running is hard in the beginning because your lungs, your heart, muscles and bones are not used to this kind of activity. The exciting thing is these are the parts of your body that will benefit and change your life.

You can change your life for the better!

This is what you need to do...

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