I wanted to talk a little more about the 5k I ran last week (on Thanksgiving) and some of the lessons I learned. This was my first 5k since May 2016. I feel like over the past 4 years my 5k times have gradually gotten slower. Part of the reason for this is that I have been injured quite a bit and haven’t trained the way I wanted. I also get nervous about 5ks and will go out too slow. It also helps to have perfect conditions (flat course, good weather, etc.) which is pretty difficult to control.
Here are 5 lessons I learned from running a 5k.
1. Don’t get boxed in at the start
I thought I knew better than this. The race had pace markers so I lined up where it said 7 minute/miles which was slightly faster than I planned to run. However, this was still pretty far back in the pack. I knew there would be some fast runners, but it seemed farther back than I should have been for a local 5k. Turns out I was right and people had lined up incorrectly. Some people ahead of me started walking 2 minutes into the race. For part of that first mile, I was running a 10 minute/mile pace. It slowed me down significantly.
2. Running in the cold has it’s challenges
It was in the mid to uppers 20s on race morning. I thought this would be good for running. While it was better than racing in the heat, it still had it’s challenges. It was tough to stay warmed up at the start. Also, when the race got tough and I started breathing really hard, I felt like my lungs were burning. Do you know that feeling when it’s so cold that it hurts your lungs? This made it really hard to push the pace, especially on the uphills.
3. Train on hills to race on hills
To be fair, I hadn’t trained at all for this race. I had done some fartlek runs and tempo runs, but no specific speedwork. I run on hills regularly because it’s hilly where I live. However, I don’t run fast up hills. I didn’t do any hill repeats lately. So when the entire second mile of this race was uphill, it was all I could do to just hold on and try not to stop running.
4. Kids are speedy
I said earlier how there were alot of people lined up in the front of the pack. There were A LOT of kids up there. I wasn’t sure if it was because they just didn’t know, or because they were really that fast. There were a few kids who were near me for most of the race and they made it look so easy. In fact, you can clearly see in the race photos how they fly right past me at the finish.
5. Some races can (and should) be run just for fun
It was awesome to see so many people out on Thanksgiving morning running a 5k. I have a really hard time racing for fun. If I’m going to pay for a race, then I am going to run it hard. But really, there’s no reason to get upset if it doesn’t go well. There are other reasons to do a race other than for a certain time. In this case, I’m happy that I stepped out of my comfort zone and ran harder than I would have on my own. It was also fun to run alongside other people since I’m generally a solo runner.
Turkey Trot Charity 5k Race Recap
The race was at 8:30 am and started down the street from my office. There was free parking in a public garage, and Rob was kind enough to drive me there and come cheer me on even though he wasn’t running. I sat in the car until about 8:05, then went into my office to use the bathroom and warm up. Then I ran about .6 miles to the start and did some dynamic warm ups.
I lined up around 8:20 and decided at the last minute to give Rob my phone to hold because it was bouncing around too much in my pocket. Just around 8:30, we were off.
As I said before, I was boxed in big time. My pace was around 9:30-10:00 during the first quarter mile, and gradually got faster as the crowd broke up. There was a big downhill at the end of the first mile and I basically sprinted down it to make up time. My first mile was in 7:28.
Miles 1.1 to 1.8 were a big uphill climb. This part of the race was a real struggle. I was actually tempted to walk but I’m so glad I didn’t! It was so nice to see the top of the hill and then get a little downhill to finish off mile 2 in 7:48.
The last mile was mostly flat, with a few hills. My breathing was really hard during this mile but it helped to know we were getting closer to the finish. Mile 3 clocked in at 7:27.
When I knew the finish was just around the corner, I picked it up and sprinted to the finish. My Garmin said the last .1 miles was at a 6:15 pace.
I saw Rob taking some pictures at the finish and once I crossed the finish line I jogged for a few minutes to cool down.
After the race I was really confused because this guy came up to me and asked if the course measured short for me. I went to look at my Garmin and he said his watch said the course was “only” 3.15 miles. I gave him a confused look and said that mine said the same, not wanting to correct him and say that a 5k is 3.1 miles. Rob witnessed the conversation and was just as confused as me.
I got some water and a banana and we decided to walk back to the car. It was really cold out and I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be getting an award, so we headed home.
I ended up getting 4th in my age group, and my official time was 23:36 (7:36 pace). This is my second slowest 5k time ever. I also think it was one of the harder courses I have done, and I’m not exactly in 5k shape, so I’ll take it!
I’d like to do another 5k at some point soon so I can work on getting my time back down, but I also don’t know if I really want to (which is totally just because they are so hard!) So we’ll see.
[Tweet “I ran a 5k last week and here are 5 lessons I learned! @milebymilerun #coachescorner #fridayfive #runchat”]
How do you feel about 5ks?
What is your favorite weather for racing?
How do you decide where to line up at the start of a race?
I’m linking up with Rachel, Lora, and Debbie for the Coaches’ Corner and Lacey, Meranda, and Rachel for the Friday Five 2.0! !
I haven’t raced a 5k in a very, very long time. There was a summer a few years ago when I did a race series that was made up mostly of 5k’s. They grew on me and I actually started to like the painful burn. Lol. At least it was for only a short time!
I think you need to do them frequently to really get used to them and improve! I’m just not really motivated to put myself through that very often:)
I had that same lung burning feeling when I ran that 5k last month! so true about running in the cold when it comes to that for sure. I think you had a great race – congrats! and yes, his comment was so odd! lol
Thanks! I didn’t think the cold weather would affect me as much as it did.
Totally agree with #5 not every run or race needs to be all out for me. Having said that, it is easy to get boxed in on bigger races and the cold air takes some getting used to breathing wise
It was definitely a challenge to try to run fast in those temps, especially since I’m not really used to it!
Dang, that is a “slow” 5K time for you? You are a lot speedier than yours truly LOL The 5K distance is a tough challenge for seasoned runners! For so long, I took those 3.1 miles for granted because the distance is short (in comparison the the 13.1’s and 26.2’s in my recent years), but it’s a long distance to hold a faster-than-usual pace. Of course, I’m not a naturally gifted sprinter, so that just ups the ante even more. I don’t do many 5K’s these days either (probably for the same reasons as you mentioned). And,when I do…I try to line up in accordance to those who “appear” to be comparable to me in speed (which is no guarantee LOL).
It’s to hard to know where to line up! There was one 5k I did where no one wanted to go up front, so Rob and I ended up there. Turns out there weren’t many really fast runners (lots of families just running for fun) and I managed to be first female. So I guess you just never know!
Nice job! That is a great time for a tough course. 5k scare me because when I do them, I race them, and pretty much feel like I’m going to puke the whole time! That’s why I’ve only ever done two!
It’s like constantly a battle inside my head of wanting to slow down but also knowing I can push since it’s “only” 3 miles!
Turkey Trots are hard to PR in because so many traditionally non runners come… which is great really… but it does present some challenges.
Sounds like you had a tougher race… but you still had a great time!! You are fast on a bad day.
Exactly! It was really fun to see so many people out there but I should have known it wouldn’t be ideal racing conditions. Thank you!
My 5K times have been slower too, a lot slower than what I ran in high school. I actually tend to do better with 10Ks…
You are still super fast, and hills/cold weather can make for a challenging race!
I think my pace for this race was similar to my 10k PR from last year! There were definitely some challenges with the course, but I know I will just need to put in the work if I want to get faster again!
That would frustrate me so much to get boxed in at the front! I haven’t run a real timed 5K, just some fun ones in college that I think were 3 miles. You had a great race with a strong finish – congrats!
5ks are fun because you can just kind of jump in there without too much training and they don’t require as much recovery as longer races. But they have their challenges too! And if you’re boxed in in the beginning it’s really hard to make up for that lost time.
Kids are so fast! I remember last year doing a 4 miler I was head to head with a 10 year old girl sprinting towards the finish for the last 400m and she outkicked me easily. Totally a blow to my self esteem 😉
This is not the first time that I’m had race pics with speedy kids passing by me! It definitely makes me feel old.
Nice work on the 5K! I’ve got one coming in December–it’s for RA and my rheumatologist asked me to run it–I’m just going to go with it and see what happens. I haven’t run many 5ks since my 30s so I’m not good at pacing myself.
It’s definitely challenging to pace for a 5k. Especially when we are used to running longer distances!
DANG! I can’t believe you were far back in the pack at 7 minutes/mile. You live near some super speedy people. Isn’t it crazy how kids (and dogs) can make running fast look effortless? It always cracks me up when I see a person running with their dog and it looks like the dog is barely putting in an effort! 😀
I think the first sign said 5 min/miles and then there was 6, 7, 8, etc. I’m not sure if everyone saw the signs (or paid attention to them). It was a pretty big race for it being a local 5k!
Congratulations! It’s so funny that your race time is one of your slowest….in my eyes, you did amazing! Local races are always tough with the crowds, it’s one of the downsides, honestly. And running in the 20’s is brutal so kudos!
5K’s are really scary to me but lately I’ve been trying to push harder with them. The last 5K I ran was a PR (about 25ish minutes) and there were so many kids that smoked just about everyone!
Thank you! It’s amazing how fast some kids are. Maybe as adults we just think too much about it and hold ourselves back? (Or we are just getting older and slower lol!)
Great job on your 5k! 5ks are definitely not my favorite. I feel like I am sprinting the whole time. I am so bad a training on hills. So when they come up on races, I am not a fan.
Thanks! 5ks are definitely a tough distance, especially for those of us who prefer longer runs. Even though I am forced to run hills I definitely don’t like hilly races!
Kids make it look so effortless! Hills always get me, so tough!
Its amazing how speedy some kids are!
Your picture with the kids is so fun! That’s legit – kids are smoking fast, even when they start walking in the middle of it, they start running again and leave me in their dust. And yes, they make it look effortless! But your slowest beats my fastest, so kudos to you 🙂 I’m running another 5K on Sunday and I really don’t have a clue how it will turn out. I just know there is a beer at the end waiting for me, so I’m looking forward to that!!
Maybe if there were beer at then end of the 5k I would have beaten those kids! 🙂 Good luck in your race!
I haven’t raced a 5k yet… probably because I am not a sprinter (never have been) and do much better at longer distances 😉 but it sounds like fun to race with the kids (they have so much energy :)).
5ks are really hard! I like that they don’t require much training or recovery, but I still have not mastered the distance.