Today I ran my first 5k race. I have been into running purely as a hobby now for a few years, but over the last year I have started to run more frequently and for longer runs. I firmly believe that the key is to enjoy yourself on the run, but also to track your runs in terms of distance and times even if you change the path each time. It helps to understand how you are doing, and it really helped me in preparing for my first 5k.

I use an application on my iPhone that provides GPS mapping, a stop watch, and the ability to keep history on each run and course. It was a cheap application that is actually getting a lot of use these days. One the week of the 5k I ran a quick 3km, then a nice paced 4.5km through some woods with various elevations, and on the day before the race I took a rest day. Food consumed: granola bar, fried egg on wheat bread, and a nice chug of water. That’s about it for the 5k, I really didn’t want to have anything liquid slushing around.

I finished the race at 26mins, which was pretty good for me and I felt like I could keep going for another few more k’s provided the elevation was moderate. I am pumped and ready for more runs soon.

I should mention that this was also my trial of the Vibram Five Finger running shoes for a race; (I have been running with them around the neighborhood for about a year now), and they were great. My legs are a little sore, but I really think the shoes were a help to my balance, posture, and they kept me going forward instead of running in more of an ‘up-and-down’ motion that would occur with a heavy running shoe.