I feel so foolish!! I am 33 years old, a wife of 13 years, the mother of 4 children, but doing this 5k is giving me butterflies already!! It is this Saturday. It is a local race. It is for a scholorship fund founded by a family that I knew in high school. The thing that I am most nervous about is that there are a lot of people that I used to go to school with that are going to run in this. I feel like I am back in high school, all nervous about what people are going to think!! Oh my gosh, I thought I had grown up, I guess not!! I am pretty slow too, that is not helping my nerves.

That is all the bad stuff. The good stuff is I CAN RUN A 5K! Last year at this time I couldn't run from the couch to the front door! The first time I ran out side, it took me 45min to do 5k, yesterday it 34:16 min! And there were hills. I have lost 70 something lbs and plan to keep going!

Anyone have advice for your fist 5k? Thanks for letting me ramble!! JElly

Recruit a friend to run with you. That's what I did. In 2005 I walked my first 5K with a co-worker. I was so scared. We finished in the back, but not the last. We made the mistake of trying to do a 5K with no preparation. Even walking that's a tough one to pull off, especially if it's on the 4th of July in FL. It was HOT! Now I walk that distance almost everyday. I'm not up to running yet because of my knees, but once I am I can't wait to try running one.

i've done many 5k (when i was in better shape). Advice to you...just relax They are a blast. Its a great way to run. One thing i will warn you...start off slow...most people have a tendency (me included) to take off with the pack at first...then you end up being too tired at the end. Just have fun....get a good night sleep and then the other trick...make sure if its a cool morning...dress assuming you will get hot..in otherwords..either layer or be a little cool while waiting for the race. I love running 5k...you met some really awesome ppl there. My fvorite but killer race was the bridge run in savannah...it was a 10 k and had a huge bridge climb...(had to walk so "high" good luck and have fun

My first 5k was three years ago. I was 38 and the lady that was going to run with me did not show up!!

I did and you will. My goal was not to be last, but if I had been, I was still ahead of all those who didn't try. Just go out there and do your best. Think how many of your old high school counterparts will be on the sidelines, not trying to race.

You have lost more than 70 lbs, that is AWESOME! There are going to be a lot of folks INSPIRED by you!

The most important are those 4 kids and DH, what an example you are setting for your kids, you go girl!!

I have not run since last winter, first a fall on the ice and then surgery last week, but I have signed up for the "Great Pumpkin Challenge" 3 weeks after I get my stitches out. I'll have to walk, but I'm gonna do it!!

Let me know how you do and I'll let you know how I do.

I did my first 5k last winter (February). I signed up my whole family plus DD's friend. I did it because DS needed an extracurricular PE activity and this fit the bill and was fun, too! It was a walk/run, so there was no worry that we as walkers would be last in.

Boy was I wrong!! DH and I struggled to stay ahead of an older man (65-70) who was pushing his wife in a wheelchair!!! OMG, how embarrassing! We finished in 45 minutes but it put the bug in me. I'm now training on the C25k program and can run 20 minutes without stopping (a major triumph).

BTW, I'm 44 and prior to 8 weeks ago, I had never run in my life! You'll do just fine and you'll have fun as well!

Allison - I know what you mean. In my last 5K the raceday was the same day I started TOM, and I had horrible cramps due to uterine fibroid tumors. I came in dead last, and early in the race I was passed by a man with one leg using crutches. (Really!) I wasn't actually the last person, but before we got to the finish line the 4 people behind me cut thru a parking lot to their cars. I guess they were too embarrassed to be last. There's actually a 5K this Saturday that I'd love to do, but TOM is due again and there's no way I'm putting myself in that kind of pain again.

You're all making me jealous! I want to run in a 5k race! My Y is actually having such a walk/run tomorrow and I've been equivocating for the last couple of weeks as to whether or not I should go run in it. I had decided not to, because until last week, I've only ever run on the treadmill. I could change my mind and go do it tomorrow morning, but then I'd miss the farmer's market, and I LOVE the farmer's market. I think I'll look out for another race though. I can run 5k and it might be fun.

Thanks for inspiring me!

Once that gun sounds and you take off "the nerves" stop and.......the fun begins! Doesn't matter how or when you finish...that fact that you are doing it is WHAT COUNTS!! Enjoy the time and have a great experience!

ooooh...please let me know how it goes! I'm doing my first 5k next Sunday.

I've been running for a few months but have been too scared to try a real race. I'm hoping it's as fun as everyone says. I'm worried about everything - overtraining, undertraining, the weather, tripping that day, not finishing...etc. The truth is I'm pretty sure it will be just fine but I'll let you know.

Please come back and tell me that it was great!

You're going to have a blast! I was seriously nervous at my first race, which was a 10k, and I had jitters when I did my half marathon a few weeks ago, but it was a good kind of nervous. Running races is really sooooo much fun. I never knew how fun it would be. Just relax and enjoy yourself, and you'll be great! Plus, you'll feel so wonderful when it's done and you think about what you've accomplished!!