I will be running my first 5K next weekend in Charlotte. I'm nervous because I don't know what I need to do once I get there. A friend of mine who has raced before has decided to back out.

I got into running two months ago because I am trying to prepare myself for the half-marathon in November. I can already handle a 10K just fine, but I have to take a few 10 minute walking breaks. Doing this 5K now will help me be less nervous in November!

Here's some questions:
Can I take my Ipod to listen to, or is that silly?
Will I be given horrible glares if I start walking?
Is there a time limit?

7/27/2007 9:34:31 AM

Why are you nervous? You just follow around the other people like a bunch of lemmings. No, people aren't going to give you horrible glares for walking. There will be fat bitches out there that will walk the whole damn thing start to finish. I'm pretty sure you can take your iPod. When you get there, you typically want to track down the registration desks and pick up your free swag (shirt/socks/etc) and if you are running with a timing chip then you can get that too.

Go for a 1/2 mile jog to get loosened up. And just hang around the starting line near race time.

7/27/2007 9:43:17 AM

you can take an iPod, but i would not encourage it if you've never been in a race environment before, for a couple reasons. First, when you're surrounded by 100s or 1000s of people, you need to be more aware of your surroundings than if you're jogging by yourself on trails. I don't know how big this race is, but it will probably be pretty crowded for at least a mile, and you should be able to pay attention to who and what are around you.

but more importantly, if you use and iPod i think you really miss out on the atmosphere of the race. If you've never run a big road-race, you should really enjoy it the first time by being wholy pulled into the race environment. You will probably find it exhilerating to hear the people around you - hear them talking and breathing, hear all the footsteps, see and hear the people on the side of the road. Enjoy it, and don't try to distract yourself with music.

You will be fine if you walk. Nobody will "glare". All the fast people will be long gone anyway, and if you start walking, you will probably already be surrounded by other people who are about your same fitness level.

I doubt there's a time limit. Again, I don't know what race you're talking about, but 5ks are so short, there's usually no limit. I mean, you can walk 3 miles in 45-50 minutes, right? You'll see people finishing in up to an hour, probably. And they may even have a walking-only division.

7/27/2007 9:44:51 AM

Never been in a marathon, but these are stupid questions.
1) Take your ipod
2) People will be too tired/moving too fast to care about your fat ass walking
3) No time limit, but if you stop for a sandwich break there might not be anyone to greet you at the finish line

These awesome powers of deduction come from
a) having a penis
b) not having to deal with estrogen

7/27/2007 9:46:15 AM

^ she's doing a 5k. The half-marathon is in November.

If you're just now doing your first 5k, the half-marathon in 3 months is going to be tough..... I hope that you're 1) running enough to get your fitness level up, and 2) not running too much to injure yourself.

for the Half, i would definitely bring your iPod, though. I did my first full-marathon in February and brought my iPod Nano. I didn't use it for the first 10 miles because of just the reason i mentioned before - there were lots of people, I was feeling good, i was listening to the crowd. But after that, the crowd was gone and I was mostly running by myself or in very small groups, and I needed a distraction, so I had a whole lot of podcasts lined up on my iPod to listen to for 2-3 hours.
so, for the Half, yes. 5k, no.

[Edited on July 27, 2007 at 9:53 AM. Reason : .]

7/27/2007 9:51:43 AM

Quote :

"I am trying to prepare myself for the half-marathon in November"

obx marathon?

7/27/2007 10:06:37 AM

Congrats on your first race! To answer your questions, some road races prohibit ipods, but there are rarely people out there enforcing it. If you plan to bring it, don't turn it up all the way so you can hear what's going on around you.

If you need to walk, do your best to get out of everyone's way first. It's fine to walk, especially for your first 5k, but you don't want to be run over by other runners.

There is no time limit on a 5k, but it's not going to take you more than 50 minutes to finish, unless you walk the entire time. Your fastest runners will probably finish in 15 minutes or so, the majority of the runners will finish in the 28 to 33 minute range, and the last "runners" will drag in at around an hour. For your first 5k, if you finish in under 40 minutes, that's great. Remember to pace yourself and just concentrate on finishing. Try to beat that time in your next 5k.

Have fun with it and good luck! I'm running the Bele Chere 5k tomorrow morning and can't wait

7/27/2007 10:07:11 AM

BIGGEST BIGGEST BIGGEST BIGGEST THING for your first race.

RUN YOUR OWN RACE

set your own pace, since it is a race you should try to run little faster than you normally do, or just see if you can make the whole distance without stopping. If you can do a 10k with walking breaks you should be able to do a 5k without a break... a lot of marathon guides encourage walking so its reasonable to do it none-the-less... but I find if I start walking I have difficulty getting started again b/c I've lost my second wind and slipped into relax mode... also can't go very far after walking before I need to walk again... but then again I probably do the walking bits wrong... I just aim to be fit enough to not need them... but thats me. SORRY TANGENT

my first 5k ever, I was like "I wonder how well I can really do" and I kept the front groups pace for the first mile... and then died, I cramped and barely was able to finish the next 2 miles without a break (in fact I think I did walk at one point)...

But this is why I say Run your own race...

7/27/2007 10:12:39 AM

^yeah, i think one of the biggest hurdles/milestones is to be able to "rest" at a jog, then you can really start to focus on improving your speed and endurance

7/27/2007 10:23:40 AM

thats being able to pace yourself... I've been running for 6 years now, and over that time I developed a sense of pace, and a knowledge of what I'm capable of doing... including @ various fitness levels that I've been at... very frustrating when I fall out of shape and can only hack out 2 miles...

but once you've been running consistently for a month or so depending on your initial fitness level, Your lungs should be your limiting factor and not your legs, so you should be able to slow down to a jog and go 2-3x's further than you can at a running pace... your muscles do eventually just get tired from it all, and thats why it still requires conditioning to make it for a 1/2 or whole marathon...

I personally have trouble finding time/motivation to run at a boring jog pace for an hour... I always speed up and ruin it... maybe I should get an Ipod... Do the ear buds ever bother you when your sweating?

[Edited on July 27, 2007 at 10:32 AM. Reason : jog != job]

7/27/2007 10:31:12 AM

^
running headphones http://tinyurl.com/2ouy85

[Edited on July 27, 2007 at 10:40 AM. Reason : ,]

7/27/2007 10:39:37 AM

i usually don't listen to music b/c most days i only run about 5 miles, but i don't like earbuds in general, so i use behind-the-head headphones

^those would probably be ok too

[Edited on July 27, 2007 at 10:42 AM. Reason : btw, you can't use headphones at the obx marathon]

7/27/2007 10:39:42 AM

Quote :

"btw, you can't use headphones at the obx marathon"

SHITTY! thats the one I want to run... I mean my uncle is going to run the 1/2 but I was hoping to run the full... thats kinda motivation for me to just run the 1/2 so I have somebody to talk to...

7/27/2007 10:48:33 AM

Like others said don't be nervous, you can just follow the crowd or ask somebody.

iPods are normally banned in road races because one you can't hear faster runners saying "on your left" or something so they can pass you and two if there is some kind of emergency if your music is cranked you might not hear someone trying to get by. No one really enforces it. Personally, I like the experience of the race (I can listen to my music anytime), and prefer not to have it. Of course if there isn't much to see or the crowd is really small it might be different.

I've never seen anyone enforce those rules though, so go ahead if you really want to. A 5k you will be running for like 30 minutes, its not a big deal to go that long without music.

No one cares if you have to walk. Just think, there is no way you will be the first person finishing, and very unlikely you will be the last, so you are in the same boat as everyone else. Who cares where you finish, just have a good time and run your own race.

Keep your target pace, don't get excited and sprint at the beginning and then have to walk at the end. It is much more fun to go out slow and get to sprint past a bunch of people that passed you early on at the finish.

7/27/2007 12:01:36 PM

Quote :

"Will I be given horrible glares if I start walking?"

you might have some people staring at you during the race but thats just cause you're sexy

7/27/2007 12:09:06 PM

yeah, like everyone has been saying. dont worry about a thing.

do whatever you wanna do.

during a 10K i had to strip my shirt off so i can change shirts. i got some looks. haha.

but just remember that there is always someone that is more nervous than you.

its fun and exciting, and you will be pumped as you are nearing the finish when you see everyone cheering for you

7/27/2007 12:15:33 PM

Quote :

"These awesome powers of deduction come from a) having a penis b) not having to deal with estrogen"

hahah, gg

7/27/2007 12:18:15 PM

The advice given so far is good. Don't get stressed out about it, just enjoy the race. Make sure you give yourself enough time for the pre-race registration, ect. During the race you can usually find a pack going at a pace you feel comfortable with and stick with them. But don't be afraid to fall back or leave them if you need to. You may do better than you expect. Just stay positive and keep your feet moving, you'll be fine.

7/27/2007 10:51:45 PM

Is it the Old Reliable Run that you're going to in November? I did that one last year.

IPod - if you're sure the device and wires won't get in your way, go ahead. Be careful of selecting music with too fast of a beat; those might cause you to run (and thus tire out) faster.
Walking - plenty of people slow to walks occasionally during the 10k. I suggest a slow jog over a walk if possible though.
Time limit - no, but I spoke to the guy who came in last at the Old Reliable Run and he said the cops bringing up the rear were getting a little pissy. At least 500 finished within an hour, possibly 600, just to give you a general idea of the time frame.
Water - there are people handing out cups of water every 1 or 2 miles, so it's not too much of a problem.

7/28/2007 12:03:39 PM

^^^Dudes have estrogen...

?

7/28/2007 12:11:29 PM

I didnt read the whole thread, but the Raleigh City of Oaks Marathon is in November.

I'm running the full.

7/28/2007 12:11:52 PM

Thanks for all the advice. I use my ipod now mainly for the nike+ feature that I have on it, but I won't need it for the race. I'm able to WALk a 5K in 45 minutes, and run/walk in 35. I do a 10K every saturday and have been consistently walking those with slight jogs. It takes me 1:15 for that.

I feel prepared for this race. I know I'll be ready for the half by the time comes, I'm running/walking at least 3 times a week with cross-training on the other days and Friday my day off.

Yep, the november half that I will be running is right here in Raleigh.
Check it out - google City of Oaks Marathon - it will start at RBCcentura, go downtown, return to RBC (that's the first half) then go to umstead park and back. Nov. 4th.

I'll also be running a virtual marathon two weeks prior for a practice. I'll have 24 hours to complete a half marathon. Nike+ Women's half marathon.

Right now, the longest distance I've even gone is 9 miles at just over 2:15

7/28/2007 12:29:26 PM

If you're looking for headphones, I really like the rio headphones. They wrap around the ears but it's not a hard plastic, more like a rubber. I have small ears, and they are the only things that don't hurt.

7/28/2007 12:53:04 PM