I'm definitely not much of a runner. I can go without running for months, weather conditions and having no suitable route in my area being my main obstacle. I completed Couch to 5K a few years ago and completed the Bridge to 10K at the beginning of this year, but stopped running soon afterwards. At the end of July, I signed up for my first 5K at a national park but disaster struck when heavy rain poured down and turned the trails into mud. I did manage to complete the full 5K, but the dire weather and terrain forced me to stop quite a few times. As I've mentioned before, my city isn't runner friendly and this park is pretty much the only place suitable for a race. When I saw another race advertised for September at the same location, I definitely wasn't too thrilled to attend so I didn't sign up. But after lots of convincing, I signed up just ten days before the race.
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| Participants chatting before the 5K race |
I trained as much as possible, although I ran mostly laps around my backyard for convenience. Besides runs, I also added more cardio to my routine in order to challenge my cardio endurance more than usual. Although I was doing all the fitness related work, my diet and my rest were far less than ideal due to life circumstances, I was pretty drained by the late afternoon every day. Even so, I endured and confirmed my participation to the race, got number 156.
I could't sleep well the night before the race; so I decided to wake up earlier and get ready earlier. For my warm up, I followed this pre running activation video by Fitness Kaykay.
Some nice activation with a little cardio to warm up the muscles
An instructor also provided a warm up routine before the race, I followed along and got ready to start. The day was clear and sunny, with the temperature rising quickly and basically no wind. The 5K route was different from the previous race, with some segments requiring running over grass. Pebbles and rocks were also very present in this trail, making it feel more like a cross country race than a regular 5K. Regardless of the obstacles, I maintained my rhythm while struggling with the harsh sun.
Something I'd like to remark on is that many people on this race were doing interval walks with fast sprints, which is new to me. Seeing so many people walking somewhat discouraged me (to be fair, the conditions were harsh enough), but I kept pushing and didn't stop. Around the fourth kilometer, I fell down in a slope due to the uneven soil, hitting my right knee. I got up immediatly afterwards and ignored the pain, but my rhythm was certainly slower. I crossed the finish line and received my medal, with a time of 39 minutes.
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| This race was held to celebrate World Heart Day (September 29) |
To be honest, I was disappointed. This was definitely not my best run, now I'm sitting here writing this article with my bruised right knee. My heart rate was sky high, my mind was wandering and I didn't feel that excited during the race. But hey, I did everything without stopping regardless of the conditions and even a fall. After arriving home, I did this cool down by Julia Reppel and rested for the rest of the day.
Julia's videos provide modifications for every need.
I had to modify the quad stretch due to my knee
After reflecting over what went wrong, I realize I just need to run more. The majority of people attending the race were actual hobbyist runners and trekkers, so I can't compare myself to them. Aside from practice, I need to improve my daily habits ASAP, especially rest.
Next week I'll take things easier due to my knee, but I definitely think I might incorporate running once a week to my fitness routine for now on. Practice makes perfect and maybe that's simply what I lack. I do hope future races can be held in a more appropiate location, I want to test my 5K time in decent conditions next time.
