Marching On...

[emily_in_nc]

Had two good runs last week -- a 5K tempo run (a PR!) and a 5.4 mile birthday run/walk for my 54th. 4.4 of that was running and a mile of walking.

I have a question for Oak and other runners out there about what you'd recommend for the week before my event. It's only a 5K so not nearly as big a deal as a 1/2 or full marathon, but I still want to make sure I don't screw up. I normally do one tempo 5K run and one longer run interspersed with short walking intervals per week. These runs are done on Tues/Thurs, and the other days I do either yoga, cycling, or long walks. The event I'm doing is on a Sunday. Should I just do my usual runs on Tues/Thurs. that week or do less running leading into the event? Since it's a short distance, I'm assuming sticking with my normal schedule is okay since I'd still have two days off from running prior to the event.

Thanks for any advice! :-)

[OakLeaf]

Yep, you should be fine with your regular schedule. It's not so much the race distance per se, but what you've been doing in training and how long you need to be fully recovered from that - so think about how long it takes you to feel COMPLETELY fresh after your workouts. You might do your tempo run on Tuesday, as the tougher workout, and don't make your Thursday long run too long. Do something not too strenuous to stay loose in the days before the race.

To me, a 5K is short enough that I benefit from a thorough warm-up, but long enough that I also benefit from some quick calories 15-20 minutes before the start - whatever you know you can digest, whether it's fruit juice, sports drink, a gel, candy, whatever.

And cut it out with the "not a big deal" will ya? Remember how many questions I had about my first 5K, and how it took longer for me to write the race report than it did to run the thing? That was a huge deal to me, and this one can be as big a deal to you as you want! Good luck! I want to hear all about it.

[emily_in_nc]

Thanks Oak!

Excellent advice. I've been doing well on either a banana or granola bar prior to my runs (plus a small cup of coffee), so I will stick with that same "diet" for the 5K. It's earlier in the morning than I usually run (7 am, and I usually start no earlier than 7:45), so I'll need to get up about an hour earlier, but it's not a huge change in my schedule.

I'm excited and will definitely report back! This is actually my second "official" 5K. The first was in Belize in 2012, and heck if I can remember what I did leading up to it.