My First 5K

So today I participated in my very first 5K!  As it was my first 5K, or any running race for that matter, I didn't really know what to expect or what to do, so I was a little nervous.  First, I was a late sign up, so I didn't really prep or train for the run....I know it's only 3.1 miles, but I was worried about my ability to keep up with the team I was on.  Second, what about eating the day before and the morning of, how much water should I be drinking etc, etc.

Turns out I did not need to be worried....then again since I was running the "happiest 5K on the planet", I should've known not to worry =)

Birthplace

That's right folks, I ran The Color Run. (For those not familiar with it, "The happiest 5K on the planet" is the race's slogan) It was the first Color Run in Grand Rapids, MI.  It was so much fun!!

In prep, I ran 3.1 miles on Wednesday.   This was important for me to do before the actually race so mentally I knew that I could make the distance.  Someone once told me, maybe my brother Eric, that running is 10% ability and 90% mental.  For me this is very true and it was a big confidence booster that I knew I could run 3.1 miles since I had already done it once.

Birthplace

Then I did some research....on Pinterest of course.  I found a couple links with tips on prepping for 5Ks.  An article from LiveStrong.com was the best, I thought.  I followed their advice on taking a rest day and running for 20 minutes the day before the race and about the eating/drinking the day before.  I did not get very much sleep the night before, but I was so excited that I was wide awake for the race...later in the day at work is another story (Thanks to my friends Hillary and Sara for bringing me Chai Latte with Espresso!)

The Colorful Monkeys (our team name) before the run. Photo taken by my friend Hillary Schultz. I'm on the left.

The run went really well.  Some of us walked part of it, while others ran the whole thing.  I did the walk/run combo, which was probably perfect for me, since I didn't train for this race.  Next time I hope to run the whole thing.  There was a ton of people downtown but everyone was so nice and excited, it was great!

The Colorful Monkeys after the run! Very colorful!! Photo taken by Hillary Schultz. I'm on the bottom left.

I paced myself during the run, grabbed water when it was offered and made it through the whole race, no problem.  Plus I managed to serendipitously run into my friend Nick and his family! What a great first 5K! I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to try a 5K.  The only complaint I had was that there was no regulation about where walkers and runners were, so when we were running we'd get stuck behind a line of walkers and had a hard time getting around them.  Overall though, I really enjoyed it!  At the end there is a big party with music playing.  Everyone gets a pouch of color and gets to throw it in the air.  The result is the first picture I posted - SO cool!!

Next year - we're getting tutus. 

I'm so happy!