the 5k
As a cross country runner, running a 5K is the biggest hit of dopamine. A million flashbacks cross my mind and somehow this ignites a fire within me to compete with my younger self - though we’ll never beat her. She was wild, free, and hungry for 1st place. Now I’m hungry for sleep and just trying to keep up or so it seems! Personally, I find speed work to be fun and trying to PR a 5K will always be a fun goal to keep pursuing regardless of age. Being able to score PRs after having 3 kids still blows my mind and reminds me that the human body is absolutely incredible. But I am curious…
Do you think paying to run 3.1 miles is worth it?
Would you rather try to PR completely on your own?
Is that a true PR??
the typical “night before race day” outfit lay is a trend that I support and LOVE! It’s the adult version of xc group huddle before start and/or team pasta parties the night before..
///////////// FIT CHECK /////////////
shoes // shorts (similar) // hat // glitter // exclusive RRC singlet (join here)
not pictured: headphones // handheld water // watch
*Keep in mind I may receive a very small commission from purchases made through the provided links above. By using the affiliate links, you are helping support my website, and I appreciate your support*The night before a 5K doesn’t have to be so intensely thought out like some other races such as a marathon okay.. plus you only have about 20-30 minutes of pain/suffering. To me, it’s totally worth it. The ability to perform under pressure is what makes a race environment a RACE not just a run. You get to race with strangers and hopefully make friends. You are someone’s competition and somebody else is yours. You’ll likely never see their face but you’ll have their back engraved into your brain forever unless (you know…) you pass them of course!!
SOME DEBATES I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE OVER COFFEE:
is a PR still a PR if it’s not during a race environment
does your PR as a kid count or do you start over as an adult
should you be able to walk during a 5K if you’re running a 7 minute mile pace?
any other cross country kids told you were not allowed to walk during practice?
what mile should the photographer be snapping pics?
should it be illegal to only take your photo as you cross the finish when you’re clearly not at your best? (yes, straight to jail btw)
If this had said zone 2 it would have been party pace but zone 4+5 meant I came for a PR and scored.
People tend to say “oh it’s just a 5K” and I want to remind yall a 5K is a tough race to run and I applaud anyone who hops out of bed and gets their shoes on to run 3.1 miles on the weekend rather than sleeping in. KUDOS.
BONUS TIP: jam out to this playlist for the best vibes!
Overall, a 5K isn’t hard to train for and is always a fun challenge. Most of the money is going towards a good cause and people are not exhausted afterwards so you can still go about your day and enjoy that runners high that won’t crash the second you cross the finish line :) Hope to see yall out there somewhere someday.