September 26, 2024
For about a year, my wonderful husband Beau wanted to start running, namely 5K’s. I said, “Absolutely not, you will just get injured.” (This pessimistic response was coming from a former Division 2 B-Team cross country runner who personally was not ready to run again).
In my defense, this response was also logical because tall people over 200lbs have a much higher injury risk. I mean find me one elite distance runner that is 6'5", I'll wait...
Being the persistent person he is, this interest carried on. He read running books and dropped subtle hints. Finally, he wore me down and we made a deal. I reluctantly agreed to run with him with the stipulation if anything starts to feel like an injury we stop!
I mean we were already fit enough enjoying a healthy lifestyle of lifting weights and playing golf & tennis. So why should we add distance running? But we laced up and off we went!
For the fist month (December 2023), we did walk + runs
How you start off is the most important. Aim for "too easy." Most do too much, too soon while motivation is high and then flame out or break. We started with short, doable running workouts. Our first workout was a simple 10 x 2 minute walk 1 minute run.
Until you establish a groove, I'll be honest it is not real pleasant at first . Oh man did it hurt. Everything hurt. My feet, my knees, my hamstrings, my glutes, my hips, and my lower back. It was unsettling, I was sure there was no way we could do this. By hurt, I do not mean an injury, just unpleasant.
Nevertheless we stuck it out walk + running 3x a week for the entire month of December. After completing the first month of running and experiencing zero injuries, the runner’s high kicked in, and now it was not just Beau who wanted to run but I really started to love it again!
We quickly set the goal to run four 5K races in 2024. If it’s okay with you, I’d like to share some lessons and insight that may help you if you decide to start running.
1st 5K: Winter “Trail Run” (January 2024)
We had two options: a simple road race “how boring” or a trail race. “Oh yes, trails are way more fun!” So with only one month of walk + runs under our belt, I signed us up for our first 5K in 10 years.
We woke up on race day and it was 18 degrees. The trail turned out to be more like a goat path or obstacle course. The course was much more intense than we were picturing, but it was amazing!
Seriously this was the most challenging and awesome 5K trail race ever. Looking back we probably would have been better off starting with the road race, but lessons learned...
1st Walk + run for more at least a month (or longer) before your 1st 5K, I would recommend roughly 8 to 12 weeks for most people.
2nd Check your gear, if its a trail run be sure to have the correct shoes.
3rd Have realistic expectations, after training on the road and track we were over confident on expected trail race times. Trail run race times, by their nature, will never be as fast as road races.
2nd 5K: Spring (April 2024)
By April we had been training for 4 months and definitely felt like we were really getting the hang of this running. With one trail run under our belt, I signed us up for our second.
This time we had the correct shoes for trail running. Weather was much improved. On race day, we warmed up by walk + running the last mile backwards so we would know when we were close to the finish. By doing this we thought we’d know the last mile and felt more prepared for the race ahead of us. As always there are lessons to be learned.
There was a creek crossing near the last mile, we both knew that once you cross the creek then run as fast as you can to the finish. During the race I had been chasing the top female runner and was getting close to catching her.
Understand, this trail race had very dense foliage with trees, bushes, and winding turns so you could only see a few feet ahead of you to stay on path. Happily, I saw a creek crossing appear! With excitement and vigor, I went for it. Only to quickly find out I was on the wrong trail. I had to re-route and find my way back to the race trail without getting lost. Lesson learned...
1st Focus and follow the trail markers. Especially on a trail race, no one needs to get lost.
2nd Run your own race, don’t worry about your place, and focus on your fitness and ability.
3rd Go into a race prepared, but not over confident.
3rd 5K: Bonus (June 2024)
This race was a bonus race. I wanted redemption after running off course in April. This would also be our first road race. One thing is for sure road races are easier to navigate with obvious markers and plenty of volunteers it is nearly impossible to get lost. Road race setups are much less stressful mentally and physically.
Similar to our previous races, we started by packing our race bag the night before. We made sure to get plenty of rest the night before, woke up early enough to eat a light breakfast about 3 hours before race time, and arrived at the race about 1 hour before the start.
This strategy gives us plenty of time to pickup our race packets, find the restrooms, check the course map, and have a proper warm up. The weather that day was perfect. This race was flat and fast, a great opportunity to test our fitness.
We put into practice the lessons learned from our previous races: momentum from 7 months of training, correct racing shoes, realistic race times. As always lessons learned...
1st Be brave, you want to race smart but don’t be afraid to push yourself out of your comfort zone. Go for it!
2nd Have fun, make sure to enjoy race day, its an opportunity to test your fitness.
3rd Trust the process. Consistent effort over time will lead to success.
4th 5K: Summer (July 2024)
What a better way to celebrate Independence Day than running a 5K right? I definitely think so, but be aware of location and time. Living in North Texas, it is important to understand heat, humidity, and how the body reacts to activity when both are high.
It was about 80 degrees and humid even with a 7am start time. The day before it was well over 100 degrees so the temperature on the road was most likely much higher. For the first two miles, everything was fine, then during mile 3 it was like hitting a wall.
Like an automobile, smart runners must do all they can to not overheat. Surprisingly, regardless of the heat, we both ran nearly the same race times as in June. Running in hotter temperatures will normally cause you to run much slower. Blame physiology. We actually improved since our fitness improved, however, our time on paper looked the same. It took us quite a bit longer to recover after the hot race. Lessons learned...
1st Be smart about what your body can handle, especially with heat.
2nd Take advantage of water stations, even if you just dump water on your head to cool your body’s temperature.
3rd Stay positive with your time, even elite athletes will be affected by hot temperatures.
5th 5K: Upcoming (November 2024)
This will be a special race. The Coyote Chase is our very own local race. We have participated in it in the past (November 2011, November 2014) but never trained specifically for it. This race also marks our one year anniversary from our first walk + run.
Things to remember about the Coyote Chase, the weather may be perfect, hot or cold, or we possibly could have ice or snow. You never know!
The first mile is nearly all down hill, watch your speed. Many runners will come out too fast and pay the price since the second mile is nearly all uphill, stay strong. The last mile is a mixture of hills and flat, stay focused.
A great advantage is we can train by practicing the course and set up a true race plan. We have one year of running under our belt so we can have a realistic goal race time to shoot for.
The best news for anyone reading this blog in late September / early October you have 6 weeks to start training! Not necessarily the recommended time before your first 5K race, but still plenty of time to build up to walk + run 3.1 miles.
Summary of my lessons learned through this journey back to running.
Give yourself grace and time. It may take a moment to get your feet back under you.
Walk before you run. You will want to build up strength in your feet and lower body.
Have fun and enjoy the process. Anything worth achieving takes time. Play the long game!
Give thanks for the ability to move. Regardless how fast you are, be grateful you can do it.
Thank you for reading! As you may know, we do not have social media accounts. If you enjoyed reading this and it helped you in some way, please help us spread the word and share this blog post with your friends. We appreciate it!
Nancy
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