Free to Breathe 5k 8/3/08 (Read 457 times)

Ran my first 5k this past weekend. Small charity run, a bunch of people from work were doing it so I joined them. My goal was to go under 25mins. My official time was 24:41, watch time was 24:28. It wasn't chipped and I was a back in the pack so I started my watch when I crossed the line. I'm happy with my time and I'm pretty sure I could go under 24 next time with better pacing. I've been mainly running just a lot of easy miles, building a base. I've done a few faster runs but never more than a mile. My pacing was horrible, I was dying at the end. Total rookie mistake. Mile 1 - 7:19 Mile 2 - 7:58 Mile 3 - 8:31 .1 - 0:39 - Kicked at the end I'm happy with the results considering it's the first 5k I've ever done and the fastest I've probably ever ran. Just need to work on my pacing. I had a great time and it got me a little bit hooked on racing. It's definitely a good motivator to keep me running. I think I could go under 23mins by the end of the year.

way to go, have fun.

Great job Aaron! 5k's are a lot of fun especially when you go under your goal with the very first one. I bet you'll be sub 23 in no time.

If a year from now you can still say that (including the "once" part) and be totally truthful, then you're a fast learner! Most people (myself included) make the same pacing mistakes over and over again. Maybe we gradually get a little better at pacing over the years, if we're lucky. It's not easy!

Not to push the blame onto someone else but I had a plan to go out at an 8min mile pace and I even got someone to pace me. Unfortunately, my pacer was a lot faster then they thought and by about .75 of the way into the first mile, I knew we were going faster than was good for me and I started slowing down. If I had kept up with my pacer, I probably would have done a 7min first mile. The 2nd mile I ran at a good pace but by the 3rd mile, I was paying for my sins in the first mile. I was surprised at the kick I still had in me at the end. I think if I was mentally more prepared, I could have extended that kick a little longer. All in all, I'm happy with my time and it was a good first 5k experience. It also made me realize how much of a mental race the 5k is. At so many points, I wanted to slow down even more but I just kept telling myself to keep my legs turning over.