I am running in my first 5K this Saturday and I was wondering if anyone had any good tips for me! I have been sick the past 2 weeks, so I haven't been able to run much, I hope this doesn't affect me too much on Saturday. Plus, the course is a lot hillier than I am used to, so I am really nervous!

Any advise would be greatly appreciated!

Good luck in your 5 K! My advice is just relax and enjoy it. Don't worry about being sick, your adrenalin will carry you through. You've lost alot of weight, and the positive experience will be a boost to your confidence!

Eat a little something an hour or so before you go. I always eat a fiber one muffin--for some reason that sustains me through a 5K. Be sure to pace yourself because you can get caught up in the spirit of things and start out too fast. Other than that, just run as your normally would, and put a big smile on your face when you hit that finish line! Have fun!!

Good luck! Take it easy if you need to, you've got plenty of opportunity to improve on your time in the future, the important thing is that you enjoy it!!!

Good luck and enjoy! The first race you do is the best! Hands down! It's an amazing feeling crossing the finish line :

Charity, I don't have tips for you because I'm in the same situation! I've lost a similar amount of weight and my first race is Saturday! We'll have to celebrate together. Mine's a 10k, but that's only because there wasn't a 5k to run before this one, and I really wanted to do this one. I would've rather started with a 5k, but I plan to try some of those this spring, summer, and fall as well. Anyway, we'll both report back here and compare notes on our first races, ok?

Have a great race! The best advice I can think of that you haven't got is to start off slow. With the excitement of the race, most people will run faster than they think they are and then have trouble later. Watch your pace, and go nice and steady. Have a wonderful time.

Anne

Absolutely Lisa! Good luck with your race!

Thanks for all the advise everyone! I will enjoy the day!

Have fun and enjoy the moment!!

Hey its Saturday. Congrats on your first race!

Ooh yes, we need reports from all the first timers racing today

Hello everyone!

Here is my race report....

Well, I woke up this morning to rain. I was really hoping that it would be over before the race, and luckily, it was! So, by race time, no rain, and the rain had cooled things down a bit so it wasn't so hot. I was hoping to run the whole 5K, but soon found out that that would not be possible. The course was EXTREMELY hilly! So, I walked up most of the hills and ran the rest. I had started out hoping to come in under 38:00 minutes, but I figured there was no way I would be able to do that with walking so much. But, I finished in around 38:50!!! I was extremely happy with that time considering I had to walk about 1/3 of the time.

I have another 5K on May 5. That course is pretty flat, so I think I can beat my time by a lot!

So, Lisa, how was your race?

Actually, I just checked my posted time, and it was 37:56! I couldn't remember if I was just under 39 or 38 minutes, I am so happy!!! Barely made my goal, and I walked 1/3 of the time!!!!

Lisa, how was your race?

Charity, you did a great job!!! Congratulations!!

I posted about my race in other places but forgot to come back to this thread! I ran the whole 10k, no walking, so I was really happy about that. I did it in 1:12:31, which is slow but was much better than I thought I would do. As for ranking, I was pretty much in the middle in my age group -- that includes people who just walked the whole thing, though. It was a great experience, and I'm definitely hooked. I signed up for a half marathon!

I'm running a 5k on April 21st and then another on May 12th, so that should be fun. I haven't done one yet, so it'll be different in terms of pacing and all that. Now that you're an old pro after your first 5k, I may be asking you for tips!

Lisa, that is a great time!!!! That is a faster pace than my 5K!! I am sure you won't need tips from me, I will be lucky to finish my next 5K (which is on May 5) even close to where you will probably finish!!! Good luck training!