Embarking on the journey: My first 5K run experience
Author: Kari Jackson
This past weekend, I ran my first ever race! Now, I am not a runner, but when my brother asked if I wanted to run a 5k with him, who was I to say no? I work out almost daily, so I knew I could start to incorporate running into my split to be well prepared for the time the race rolled around. One thing I learned from this experience is that running on the treadmill is not my forte. In the gym, I could barely make it past a mile without needing to stop. This was a bit discouraging, and I started to get nervous for the race. 3.1 miles is a long way away from 1 mile, especially when you’re not used to it. I decided to keep on running after my workouts even though I could only run about one mile. My main source of cardio was the stair stepper. This seems to be the ultimate cardio boss for most of the people I talk to. Whenever I mention the stair stepper, it is met with groans, but I encourage you to not overlook the benefits! Since I could never seem to run very far on the treadmill, I turned to the stair stepper.
Over time, my endurance increased to amazing levels. When I first started, ten minutes felt like an eternity, but now I can go for an hour. Endurance is key to running and so this workout benefited me immensely. Running has a huge mental aspect to it. Your body can go much farther than your mind is telling you. If you can improve your endurance, running will be much easier. I found out how much the stair stepper actually helped me when I ran my first 5k. On an unusually warm March day, I decided to go to the park and conquer a run. Much to my surprise, I was able to run not only 3.1 miles, but a whopping 3.8. Running outside totally changed the game for me and it made me realize that I can run much farther than I was telling myself. This made my confidence in my running abilities skyrocket. I felt like a true runner. Time continued to tick away and soon enough, I was picking up my running bib and number. With just a few days until the race, I was getting very excited. I even bought new running shoes to commemorate the event. I went on a few more short runs the days preceding the race in order to prepare.
Eventually, Sunday rolled around and it was game time. I woke up at 7AM and got ready. I had a granola bar and a banana and made my way down to the University of Minnesota campus. As I drove, I began to see sprinkles decorate my windshield and I could feel the wind on the car. It was 40 degrees outside with 16mph winds. Despite the less-than-ideal weather, my brother and I made our way to the starting line. We were at the very front. I questioned him and asked if we should move farther back. He said we were fine and so I went along with it. The excitement was growing as the news anchors were recording for the morning news. The runners were warming up and the countdown was officially on. I locked in, blasted some Beyonce, and got ready to run.
The announcer said it was go time and my brother and I set off. His pace was already quicker than what I was used to, so I got a bit worried. He is almost a foot taller than me, so I knew it would be a challenge to keep up. There was no way I was going to let him get ahead of me, so I pushed on and continued to run. We eventually hit the one-mile mark and my pace was 9:16, which was my best ever mile time. By the time the three-mile mark rolled around, I was getting pretty worn out. I could see my brother in front of me and it motivated me to keep going. We crossed the finish line, and I completed my first race with a personal record time of 30:25. In case you were wondering, my brother beat me by 26 seconds. Completing this race with him was a very fun experience and it got me into running. A few days after the race, I ran another 3.1 miles at the park. Running is a great way to get outside and enjoy nature. Although it’s hard, it is such a rewarding feeling knowing that you can achieve results if you put in the work. I am looking forward to my next race and I will definitely be continuing my running journey.