By Shelby
I’m running in my first 5K this weekend. And I’m pretty nervous about that.
Despite my brief foray into pole dancing, I am not an athlete. In fact, I’m like the least athletic person ever. I got my PE credit in high school from marching band. (Band geeks unite!) I’ve done a lot of fast walking for exercise, but I’ve always dreamed about being one of the people running past me on the Lady Bird Lake trails. Running can seem pretty daunting to someone who has never tried it, so if you’re also a running newbie, I recommend three things: (1) find a running buddy, (2) commit to a training plan and (3) sign up for a 5K, preferably one that offers mimosas at the finish line, like the one I’ll be running in this weekend.
First, I lucked out in my running buddy, past Chickster guest blogger Barbara, not only because she is awesome and loves the idea of mimosas after a workout as much as I do, but because she is married to a bona fide marathon runner who found us the perfect (and oh-so-grueling) five-week 5K training program from Runner’s World magazine.
As a running newbie, the training trail wasn’t without bumps. Sweating just plain sucks. And it’s really hot out. Those are givens, but I wasn’t expecting to get so sore in my shins. Luckily, a trip to RunTex to get fitted for new shoes and learn some good stretches for my shins and calves helped immensely. Even if you feel foolish stretching in public, don’t skip it. Your legs will thank you after, believe me. And on the walking or cross training days, I found that throwing in a little yoga helped my sore muscles feel better too.
If you’re intimidated by running like I was, you might also look for a 5K that is billed more as a “fun run” than a hyper-competitive chip-timed event where everyone will be focused on their completion time. We opted for a women’s only 5K that’s part of the Lavender Festival in Blanco, but the Keep Austin Weird 5K is coming up on June 26 and carries with it the low-pressure billing of “the slowest 5K you’ll ever run,” not to mention the fact that people run in wacky costumes. Or if you’d rather suffer through your five kilometers while supporting your favorite team (Edward or Jacob, of course), check out the vampire-themed Twilight 5K. For a listing of running events in the Hill Country area, visit RunTex’s comprehensive calendar (now defunct).
We’re in the final week of training, and I never in my wildest dreams thought I’d be able to run 3.5 miles without stopping, but somehow, I made it through. (For my indoor training days, I owe a shout-out to SoapNet’s endless supply of Beverly Hills, 90210 reruns for helping make those treadmill sessions bearable.) Now that I think about it, I probably should have held out on this post until after I (hopefully!) complete the 5K this weekend. Depending on how it goes down, I might have to come back next week with a post on how NOT to train for your first 5K. But either way, at least I know there will be a mimosa waiting for me at the finish line.