First 5K on Sunday - in a panic

[justcruisin]

I'm signed up for local 5k on Sunday, there are about 800 people registered. Running is new to me but I've been working out regularly for a few years.

Decided to run the Wine and Dine in November and my first 5k is this Sunday. I can complete a 42 minute treadmill 5k and about 46 minutes outdoors.

Panic has set in now that the weather is predicting 86 on Sunday. Race is at 10:30 so it's going to be pretty hot and I sweat like a pig just standing still when it's hot.

I am paralyzed with fear about finishing last and now with the weather it's my fear is even worse. My commitment to the half is strong and I know it's going to be a journey.

There will be one water stop, 1.5 miles into the race. I purchased a mesh hat and a 10oz handheld water bottle (Nathan) today.

Any suggestions on how to deal with the heat? Or finishing last?

Thank you!

 

[::Snow_White::]

Congrats on signing up for your first race! I just finished my first 5k in March and finished my 2nd one last month. They are a blast.

I totally understand the fear of being last, but chances are, with that many people signed up, you won't be. When you start the run, you might panic because many people will pass you, but just keep focused. The only person runners are paying attention to is themselves. I know this might not help at the moment, but after you start and finish the race you'll understand it. Just remember: Dead last beats those who didn't finish which beats those who didn't have the courage to start!

As for the heat, I definitely would take the water with you, 1.5 miles is quite far I found during my first 5k and I needed something earlier. Pour some on your face if you feel the need and don't be afraid to walk! If it's through residential areas, try and stay on part of the road that's shaded.

Good luck, you'll feel amazing when you finish!!

 

[mchllevns]

Congrats for entering...you are far ahead of most people!!! Don't worry about where you finish...I ran my 1st 5K in the fall and started to get nervous when everyone was passing me...but I set my own goal and focused on finishing the race in my time. Take walk breaks when needed so you don't cramp up... Best of luck to you!

 

[Mamasmurf227]

I agree--focus on running YOUR race and you will be fine. Don't go out fast just because everyone else does.

Also, because of the heat, most other runners will also have to slow their pace.

I got passed by some walkers during my first 5K a couple weeks ago, but when I crossed the finish line...I felt like I had just won a marathon. Crossing that finish line will be amazing, no matter how long it takes or what place you finish! Enjoy it!

 

[lisah0711]

Congratulations on your first 5K!

Do you know the WISH motto?

DLF>DNF>>DNS

Dead Last Finish is greater than Did Not Finish which greatly trumps Did Not Start. WISH gave me the courage to start!

Have a great time and celebrate that you had the courage to start!

 

[PrincessRhi]

I moved to Florida from Mass a few months ago and have been REALLY struggling with the heat and humidity.

Some of the tips I've been told are to make sure you're well hydrated before going into the race (as well as keeping hydration throughout the race and after), keep your body cool, and don't feel like you have to push your speed. Being slow is OK, even if you finish last.

Back up north, my 5k times ranged between 37 min and 45 minutes. My very first 5k down here was run in about an hour. I had to walk most of it since I thought I could keep my usual pace and ended up with nasty cramps. I had grandmas passing me, but I wasn't going to push it. In retrospect, I'm glad I got to walk since the course was beautiful-- along the intracoastal and we passed some yacht clubs that I would have missed had I only focused on running. I still got a finisher's medal, just as I would have if I finished 20 minutes earlier.

I'd just go out there and enjoy it. Drink lots of water and go at your own pace. And if you're competitive with yourself, a slower than usual time just means an easier goal to beat later.

 

[PrincessV]

... make sure you're well hydrated before going into the race...

^^ THIS, more than anything! In the 2 days before the race, make sure you're taking in plenty of water and a fair amount of salt. I live and train in FL and that's my approach before every weekend's long run, even when it's only a couple miles long. Good luck and have fun!

 

[DEA]

I'm running my first race in about 15 years tomorrow, and I have the same case of nerves about where and how I'll finish. The me of 15 years ago could run a mile about 2 minutes faster than the me of today, so I am anticipating a lot of disappointment with the comparison when I cross the finish line.

But I am going to finish. And that's the important thing. I only have the me of today, the shape I'm in, and the weather that I get tomorrow morning. That's going to be enough to get me across the finish line, and my next race, I may just run faster.

So, stay on your pace, don't get super-competitive and overreach, especially early, and if you find yourself with something left in the tank at the end, and there are some people in front of you, maybe push to get ahead of them at the end, just to challenge yourself. If nothing else, it might spur you all on to a slightly faster time when you know you're going to be able to reach the finish.

Good luck!

 

[gudrench3]

justcruisin and DEA, I'm proud of both of you for doing these races!!! Yall will do great! Just showing up is a bigger accomplishment than I have made yet. I plan to do one soon. I hope yall will do a mini trip report for us.

WATER, WATER, WATER is what I keep hearing from everyone around here!

I know yall will have a great time! Can't wait to hear back from yall!

 

[jmasgat]

Given the temps, I would consider carrying Gatorade ( or equivalent) in your water bottle BUT only if you've trained with it. The reason being, if you sweat, you need to replace electrolytes (Sodium, Potassium).

Since it's a short race, you probably won't have an issue. Just go slow (slower than your normal treadmill pace), ignore everyone else and concentrate on your own specific goals.

Good luck. We ALL have moments of nerves and self-doubt. But we all live to tell the tales of how we made it to the start--and finish--line.

Maura

 

[KSH]

You've gotten some good advice, just wanted to add one tip I learned from my training group. In hot weather you should drink some gatorade or other sports drink the day before so you are "topped off" with electrolytes going into it (then replenishment is easier). You'll do fine! Have a great time!!

Karen

 

[RunRookie]

I echo everything that has been said here. I remember my first 5K last April and I was so afraid of how I would 'look' -- if I would be last, if I would run out of gas, if I would look like someone who shouldn't be there. But in the end, I just ran the way I had been training, ignoring everyone else who was faster than me. And I finished! And received my first medal!

You two will do the same! You will finish! You will have accomplished something important! My feedback is to make sure you enjoy this race; you will want to look back on it with a smile and a sense of satisfaction on its completion.

Hydration will be key. If you trained with a hat or visor, wear it to keep the sun off your face. Use sunscreen. And avoid the temptation to 'run with the pack' and go out too fast. If you have a sports watch, use it to stick to the pace you trained for. And when the race it over, eat whatever they have post-race (banana, oranges, bagel, etc) so help you recover.

Have fun!

 

[johde]

You've gotten some very good advice so far. A couple of things I would add. First, if this race has been run before, see if you can find the results from last year. It should hopefully help ease your fear about being last, and it should help you decide where you want to lineup at the start. You don't want to start in the front, but you probably don't want to start in the back either. If you can find last years results, I would see where about 50 min. is in the results and start about that far back in the pack. If it's the first year of the race, I'd probably start about 75-80% of the way back figuring there will still be walkers behind you.

Pushing the water is a good idea to a point. But, you can do too much of a good thing. The rule of thumb I heard from Jeff Galloway was if you have water sloshing in your stomach stop drinking to avoid Hyponatremia where drinking too much flushing the sodium out of your system. Drinking Sports Drink will help keep your sodium levels up.

The most important thing is Have Fun. To paraphrase John Bingam, You can't control what's going to happen on race day but you've put in the training and made it to the start line in one piece and that makes you a winner. It's now time for your victory lap.

 

[justcruisin]

Thank you everyone for your encouragement I knew hydration was important but I would have never thought to start two days before the race or the importance of electrolytes.

To DEA - Best of luck tomorrow - I'll be thinking of you!

I love love love DLF>DNF>>DNS. Can I get that on a shirt?

The knowledge and support of the dis-members is amazing.

Thank you all.

 

[lisah0711]

You can order WISH shirts individually. There is info in a sticky at the top of the Events board. There may be group order this summer, too.

Good luck, have a great time and come back and tell us all about it!

 

[cloudnut220]

Remember, except for a very few elite runners, we are all racing against OURSELVES. You are doing this for you, so how you feel and how you finish is all that matters. And since this is your first 5k, you are guaranteed a PR!

 

[cloudnut220]

I'm running my first race in about 15 years tomorrow, and I have the same case of nerves about where and how I'll finish. The me of 15 years ago could run a mile about 2 minutes faster than the me of today, so I am anticipating a lot of disappointment with the comparison when I cross the finish line.

But I am going to finish. And that's the important thing. I only have the me of today, the shape I'm in, and the weather that I get tomorrow morning. That's going to be enough to get me across the finish line, and my next race, I may just run faster.

So, stay on your pace, don't get super-competitive and overreach, especially early, and if you find yourself with something left in the tank at the end, and there are some people in front of you, maybe push to get ahead of them at the end, just to challenge yourself. If nothing else, it might spur you all on to a slightly faster time when you know you're going to be able to reach the finish.

Good luck!

Remember, you can't compare yourself 20 years ago with yourself now. This is why many people suggest you get a whole new set of PRs for every decade of your life!

And remember, we all get race day jitters. I'm running half marathon #8 tomorrow, and I'm all freaked out about the course and the hills. But I know I'll survive!

 

[cewait]

Echoing all the great advice above. The heat may be an issue if it is a sudden increase from what you are used to. This will sound counter intuitive but try running the first mile just a little slow. That will assure that you do not get caught up in the excitement of the race and will help keep you from over heating from a too fast first mile.

Stay within yourself. Hold you head up and relax your shoulders and try to smile. Even if you are last, you are out there and running the event. I guarantee that you are not the slowest 5k in the country this weekend and more than likely will finish 10+ minutes in front of the last person. Have fun and enjoy the race.

 

[scootch]

If you can run those times on a treadmill, you will not be dead last by any means. I ran my first 5K in March. You will be so surprised by the people who run them. Overweight people, older people, people that look in shape(like my 19 year old neice who was 8 minutes behind her 47 year old aunt)..... really, people run them for different reason and most do not care about winning, it is a goal they set for themselves for whatever reason is important to them. So just go and be proud of yourself and dont' worry what your finish, just try to finish as best you can. I will tell you one thing that helped me. Our run was a trail run(ugghh) and they gave us these energy gummies in the race bag. I put them in my pocket and the last uphill climb, I chewed a couple and it was like speed, lol... they really helped push me up that last hill. I can't recall the brand name but afterwards saw them at Walmart. Have fun. We had a ball at ours. I was visiting my brother in Georgia but wish so much I could find a friend here at home who would want to run some with me, i would do it again. Thinking of just going solo as it really does give you a sense of accomplishment!

 

[KSH]

How was the race? Hope you had a great experience!