Okay, so now that I have walked a marathon, I feel like I am pretty much an athletic authority on the old fun run/walks. By authority, I naturally mean that I know nothing, but for the sake of this post, I am going to pretend I do.
Most of the walks for this or that cause are 5K. For those of you who may or may not have had to look that up {not me, of course:}, that’s 3.1 miles. So, how do you make the most of 3.1 miles?
First, training. For my training, I like to buy running shoes. That’s it. It’s really more of a mental game for me.
The night before the race, get an awesome nights sleep. Forget about the fact that you will probably have to get up at 5 a.m. to make it to the race by 9 a.m. {Yep, after dressing and breakfast, that will leave you 3 1/2 short hours to park, ride a bus to the start location, get your number, and then stand, packed in like sardines, waiting for the race to start.} You’ll also want to account for the fact that you will be obsessed with the fear that you might not hear your alarm–which will mean less overall sleep. I’m not a wizard at math, but by my calculations, you will need to go to bed by no later than 6:30 p.m. the night before .
Next up, breakfast. Your mama was right, you know, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. The morning of the race, choose ANY recipe that has the word “power” in the title. Power smoothie, Power Bars, etc. Also, it needs to have spinach in it. I didn’t make up these rules, people, they are tried and true, by serious athletes such as myself.
Okay, now get to the race and stretch out. Don’t be shy here, own your space. Really get into it. I find it relaxing and it gets into the other racers’ heads. Intimidation is key when it comes to fun runs/walks.
Once the whistle blows, keep your eye on the prize. Keep your head up and fixated 30-50 yards ahead of you. {Seriously, though, this one will actually keep you from falling over.}
Finally, make sure to stop at all of the hydrating stations for a bit of water. Fun run or not, dehydration makes it hard to cross the finish line and greet your adoring fans {or just the neighbor who you bribed to hold a sign that you made yourself with your kids’ school markers}.
Now get out there and get your fun run on!
Mavis
Earlene says
I truly admire those who run races!! Best wishes! I’m not in shape to do one, but have often dreamed of doing one!
Noah says
I just started running and a few weeks ago I ran my first 5k. I used the Couch to 5k (C25k) app on my phone and it was great. Started real slow with short jogging and walking eventually ramping up to 5k. Anybody can use this app. I strongly urge you to stop dreaming and start doing!