How to Prepare for Your First 5K Race

Running is hard. Sticking to a training plan is hard. But knowing that you have a race coming up is a great motivator to get you out on the road when you’d rather be watching TV. If you’ve never run a race before, putting one on your calendar might seem scary: Will I feel out of place? What should I wear? How long is a 5K anyway? (It’s 3.1 miles.) So let’s warm up those cold feet and demystify what will actually happen at your first race, and what you can do to prepare.

I remember being nervous for my own first 5K. Actually, I considered signing up for probably half a dozen before I worked up the nerve to actually do it. I actually signed up for a 10K first, which was probably just a way to put it off even further; I survived the 10K, just barely, and was still nervous for my 5K a few months later. But in the years after that, I came to love the 5K. It’s a race you can do on a Saturday morning and still have the rest of the day ahead of you. Most of them only cost about 25 bucks to enter, and they run the gamut from low-key small races to big ones with practically a whole festival occurring at the start line.

As I write this, I’m four days out from my umpteenth 5K, but it’s my first one in years. Will I set a personal record? Unlikely. But will I have fun? Probably! Let me share some of this joy with you.

How do I know when I’m ready to enter a race?

There’s a real simple answer for this. If you’re starting to wonder whether you’re ready to take on a race, you already are. So go ahead and sign up, already. (I’ll wait.)

A 5K, or five kilometer, race is the perfect distance for beginners. It’s about three miles, which means the average person could walk that distance in about an hour. Most 5K races encourage walkers as well as runners to join, so you don’t have to worry about standing out for being “slow.” You could literally walk the whole thing and blend right in.

Races are more fun, and more welcoming, than newbies often realize. Even if you aren’t normally the competitive type, the energy and atmosphere of race day can make for a great experience. A race is a great test of your physical and mental strength. Any old training run can be a good one or a bad one, but your first race day will be one to remember, no matter what happens. You’ll have a little extra motivation to push the pace, and you may be pleasantly surprised at what you can do.

What’s a good 5K time to aim for?

Since this is your first race, your goal should be just to have a good time. Finish the race, take note of your time, and use that as a baseline to improve on next time. There is no such thing as a “bad” time for your first 5K.

But if you’d like to have a personal time goal, look back at your training runs. Have any of them been 3.1 miles or longer? If so, use your pace from those runs to calculate the 3.1 mile equivalent. (For example, if you ran 3 miles in 32 minutes, that works out to a 10:40 pace, which is 33:08 for a 5K.) You can do that math with a pace calculator like this one. Aim to beat your best training time on race day.

That said, you’ll want to check whether your race’s course is similar to the terrain you’ve been training on. If you’ve been running on mostly flat roads, and the race website promises a “fast and flat” course, great. But if the race course is described as “challenging,” or if it’s on trails, you can expect some hills that will slow you down. Adjust your expectations accordingly.

Can I walk during a 5K race?

Absolutely! Not only are some people walking the whole thing, the point of a race is just to cover the distance as fast as you can. The faster runners will run the whole time, but plenty of middle-of-the-pack folks will mix in some walking. My first 5K, I couldn’t keep up a steady pace and ended up walking a lot more than I wanted. I still finished, though, and although I don’t recall my time I remember being pleasantly surprised by it.

Definitely do not think of walking as shameful. We all do what we need to do to cover the distance. Think of walking as a tool that can reduce fatigue while still moving you closer to the finish line. Use it as much as you need.

Will I get a medal?

This depends on the race. Usually, at small races, medals are only for the top finishers—so, no, most 5K runners will not get a medal. Finishers’ medals (where everybody gets one) are usually reserved for marathons and half-marathons, where finishing is considered to be an accomplishment in itself.

That said, there are races that promise all participants a cool medal, so keep an eye out for those if that’s your kind of thing.

Typically, awards are given to the first three men and women to cross the finish line (there may be a cash or other prize in addition to a medal), and then medals are given to the top three men and women in each age group. The age groups will vary: Some races will have 30-39 as a single age group, while others will break it into 30-34 and 35-39. Check out the previous year’s results to see how competitive your age group tends to be. Who knows: If you’re a fast beginner, you might medal at your first race!

How do I train for a 5K?

For your first 5K, any amount of running you do will get you ready. If you’re looking for a general guideline, here’s a basic structure that will work (it’s pretty much the same as what I recommend for beginning runners regardless of goals):

Here’s an example of a training plan along those lines, meant for absolute beginners. Couch-to-5K is another beginner program, which starts with a mix of running and walking and gradually phases out the walking.

If you’re more experienced, you may like this intermediate 5K program, which includes five days of running per week. The runs are still fairly short, but they include some speedwork (fast intervals) and a weekend long run that ranges from five to seven miles.

What happens on race day?

First, you’ll want to sign up for the race ahead of time. At some local races, you may be able to walk up to a table on race morning and hand over cash for your entry fee. I prefer to sign up online to make sure I’ll have my spot. (If they offer a free t-shirt, they may not guarantee shirts to late entries.)

The day before the race, there may be an option for “packet pickup.” It’s called a packet because you’re often given an envelope or swag bag that includes coupons, flyers about other races, and maybe some free samples of products or other items. But the most important part of the packet is your race bib, which is a piece of tear-proof paper with a number on it. There is usually a timing chip glued to the back. Make sure you have this pinned to your shirt when you’re running the race.

On race morning, aim to get to the start line at least half an hour before the race; earlier is better. A typical race morning routine goes like this:

Wake up, have coffee and/or whatever breakfast you can stomach. Maybe bring a snack for the road.
Drive/travel to the race start (aim to arrive 30-60 minutes before the official start time)
Pick up your bib if you haven’t already. Pin it to your shirt. Put any other items from the packet in your car or use the bag drop service if they offer one.
Warm up. Take a walk or go for an easy, short jog. Stretch if you normally stretch before runs.
Listen carefully for an announcement that you should start lining up for the start.
Run the race!
After you finish, rest as needed, grab a snack (snacks are almost always provided), and retrieve your bag if you left it at the bag drop.
Stick around for the award ceremony, if desired.
Go home and have a nice meal. And maybe a nap.

What should I eat before a 5K?

First, remember the number one rule: nothing new on race day. This is not the time for a new pre-workout, or for drinking coffee if you normally don’t, or for trying the breakfast your friend swears by.

Eat whatever you can stomach. Good options will be mainly carbs, and the closer you are to the race start time, the smaller the meal should be. Classic runners’ breakfasts include:

Toast or a bagel, maybe with a thin smear of peanut butter
A banana
A Clif bar or other energy bar that is mostly carbs (not a low-carb protein bar)
A muffin, croissant, or cookie
Yogurt, with or without fruit

How do I calm pre-race jitters?

If you’re nervous, just remind yourself that it’s normal to be nervous. Nervous and excited are two sides of the same coin. Think of those jitters as your body amping itself up to be able to give the race everything you’ve got.

That warmup walk or jog will help you to feel more comfortable. Once the race has started, you’ll feel a lot more comfortable, mentally (even if you’re more uncomfortable, physically).

The best way to deal with pre-race nerves is to plan ahead: Know where you’ll go and what you’ll do. Practice your pre-race breakfast and warmup on a training day.

And just remember why you’re there. Your real goal is to have fun, to learn what it’s like to run a race, and to find out what kind of 5K time your body is capable of on this particular day. There’s no way to really fail at this. Keep a positive attitude, and if you decide you like racing but you weren’t happy with your time, you can always run another race later.

What’s a good heart rate for race day?

This one is for the folks who train by heart rate. You probably have some numbers that you’re used to seeing on your training runs. The most important thing to know here is that your heart rate doesn’t matter on race day. And it probably won’t match the numbers you’re used to seeing.

First, your heart rate increases when you’re nervous. The start-line adrenaline will likely have you in zone 3 or 4 when you’re running zone 2 pace. Do not waste time trying to get your heart rate down into a normal zone.

Second, a race is supposed to be hard! You’re going to be running faster, for longer, than you ever were in your training. Your heart rate may shoot sky-high. It would not be unusual to see your heart rate in zone 4 for the first two miles and zone 5 in the third. That’s OK! You can do this! If your legs are still moving, you’re doing okay.

Try to feel for a “redline” where if you went any faster, you wouldn’t be able to sustain it, but at the current level you feel like you can at least finish this mile, or this half-mile, or this minute. Just keep doing one more, and soon you’ll be finishing with a smile on your face. Or a grimace, but it will turn into a smile once the accomplishment sinks in. I promise.

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