Running is a funny thing. Once upon a time people only ran for two reasons: catching dinner and running from a predator. Now, people run for exercise, for sports--dare I even say, for fun. Today I willingly woke up at 7:30am on a Saturday to run a 5K.
Once we were all up and running around the apartment, we were scouring for a quick breakfast and panicking about our lack of preparation for transportation. We signed up for this 5K in the spring and neglected to pay attention to the fine details, like where it was and what information we need beforehand. That was a bad idea. The night before we learned it a few miles off of campus and that we would probably have to bike there. Only problem was one of our roommates doesn't have a bike--and we didn't arrange to have her borrow anyone's ahead of time because of our poor planning. As it turns out, our other friend that was running with us is in way too good of shape. So our roommate rode his bike, while he ran in front of us (he managed to stay ahead of us the whole time running, while we were biking.) He ran a couple miles there, ran the 5K, and then ran back. Here I am dying from barely running or riding in bike this summer, and he appears to be taking a colorful stroll in the park.
On our way home it started raining so hard that I couldn't see because it got into my eyes and clouded my contacts. I couldn't put my sunglasses on to guard my eyes, because they were covered in the powder from the race. It was a really safe bike ride home as you might imagine.
This whole event was a learning experience. So if you happen to have that crazy urge to pay to run approximately 3.1 miles in an organized event, there are a few things you may want to consider before arriving at the Starting Point.
Most importantly,
Find out where the race is and how you are going to get there before the night before. (If you choose to bike to and from your 5K, realize that you are exercising before and after you exercise.)
If you're doing a color run, make sure to have proper attire. Don't just focus on getting a white shirt and shorts. Dig out those old shoes that you don't care about getting messy--not the new ones you just got giddy over wearing to the gym. (DO NOT under any circumstances wear converse. Like I have mentioned, it's never a good idea.)
Check the forecast. You might not be able to do anything about it for a 5K you have already registered for, but at least you will know what to expect. If you have a trustworthy psychic on hand, maybe they can help you out when to plan your organized insane decisions exercising.
Get proper sleep, and try to avoid pizza around 2 AM the night before the race. Just trust me on this one, guys.
If it is a color run, prepare for powder everywhere. Your body might be marked with color even after you shower.
Don't bring children. One child threw a temper tantrum around the 3rd kilometer. Boy did that motivate me to run faster though. So maybe you should bring children.
RUN the entire time--as fast as you can. Just kidding, especially if you don't take my advice and wear converse. Do you have any idea how much it hurts to run in converse?
Hopefully you feel a little more prepared for your next 5K or at least you can laugh over the troubles 5K runners might encounter.
Haha! I did a color run almost 2 years ago. Ours was 2.5 hours away and we had to leave at 4 in the morning or something equally ridiculous to that. Overall it was a fun experience, but I was sooo tired after. I think I slept for 15 hours when I got home.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I am not the only one who had struggles on the way there haha. It is definitely a cool experience--it was just more work than I imagined from all of the unexpected struggles. I was drained afterward, too!
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