9 Things I Learned on How to Run a 5K
From “not being a runner” to completing a 5K race in under 45 minutes
As a teenager, I didn’t identify as an athlete. I would much rather read a ton of books and be an A student than do pretty much any form of exercise. If I had to, I chose yoga or going to watch TV on the cardio machine at the gym my parents went to.
As an adult, I can appreciate the value of exercise and setting and accomplishing goals. On February 27, 2022, I completed my first-ever 5K, and want to share a few things I learned!
1. Always do a warmup before + stretch after running
If you’re pressed for time, it’s easy to be tempted to skip the pre-run warmup or post-run stretching. If you don’t have a ton of time on a running day, consider asking a personal trainer what to do instead, which brings me to my next point…
2. Get a personal trainer
As a yoga teacher, I know I don’t know a ton about running, so I wanted to get some expert advice. I’m super glad I spent the money to hire Coach Greg Bianchi of The City Is our Gym. He has been doing outdoor workouts using equipment bolted to the back of his truck, so the gym literally comes to you. I can’t recommend him highly enough. His calm, steady attitude helped me feel more at ease about getting back into higher intensity exercise after not having exercised for a while. (More on that later.)
You also don’t necessarily need to work with a personal trainer once a week (which definitely adds up). What I did was go for about once a month, or once every few weeks, to have him check my form and that I was doing things correctly to avoid injury. I also took notes on the workouts he suggested and followed them diligently. If you can source your motivation from yourself, you don’t need to hire someone to push you – only to show you how to keep improving, and it can take a few weeks to notice a difference before you need a new challenge, anyway.
3. Have a running schedule
The Couch to 5K app was super helpful because it told me when to warm up, walk, run, walk, run, cool down, etc. and is a very handy timer. There is also a PDF of the same schedule that you can print out here.
I posted my schedule on the fridge so it was easy to see. Since I’ve been working from home for nearly two years because of the pandemic, it also helped me to know what day of the week it was, based on what training I had to do.
What I found fascinating was that you only run three times a week with this plan. Which brings me to my next point:
4. Rest days are as important as training days
Muscle soreness is a sign of progress, as you probably know. Giving your body time to rebuild itself stronger after a workout is essential to making progress. For me, a rest day from running could look like: yoga, foam rolling, shorter walks (0.5-2 miles), qigong, or really enjoying mostly sitting all day at work and just doing a few stretches but not really exercising, because I had a tough workout the day before!
5. Eat better
Depending on what health insurance you have (and hopefully you have health insurance!) – your plan may cover a few visits to a nutritionist. You don’t need to go in person – it can be as easy as a 30-minute phone call. That can help with giving you a specific plan for how to eat better, especially if you have any allergies, special dietary commitments (e.g. vegan/vegetarian), etc. I’m an omnivore, but figured I’d still talk to a nutritionist anyway, and found it helpful.
Interestingly, I got different advice from the nutritionist than from my personal trainer. The personal trainer emphasized the benefits of protein + fiber (specifically “leaves”) when I mentioned I was unusually tired from all the running. Greg Bianchi says: “Why more greens? You basically get everything your body needs eating more leaves. A little protein, fiber, and carbs.” The nutritionist said that eating more carbs the day before + day of the race would help with having glycogen stored in muscles, ready to use for running.
I ended up taking both of their advice: I added more chicken to veggie-focused meals, stopped cutting the stems off the spinach for my salads (fiber!) and enjoyed eating carbs the day before + day of the race (morning pancakes!).
6. Take it easy the week before the race
The idea is: you want to be well rested for the race, even if you’re not trying to go particularly fast. (I think this is called “tapering.”) Training for a 5K, or training for any athletic event, really, is going to make you sore. That soreness is your body rebuilding itself. You want to have things be “fully rebuilt” before a big event.
7. Do psychological training too
I’ve been practicing meditation almost daily for about a decade, and I STILL got pre-race anxiety. (Thanks, PMS.) Anyway, I used some affirmations related to body health based on a list from Louise Hay. If that’s not your thing, no problem, but remember that the mind and body are connected, which is why things like music and social support that helps you boost your mood are super useful. Another reason to have a personal trainer: they can give you a pep talk before race day. Coach Greg Bianchi was incredibly supportive when I was worried about the race for the 48 hours beforehand!
8. Have a race day buddy
My race day buddy and I walked to the starting line together. I have to admit it was really intimidating as someone who doesn’t identify as an athlete to go join the hundreds of people who mostly seemed to be way more fit than me. Having someone to run with makes waiting for the race to start a lot easier!
9. Make a running playlist of your favorite music
A lot of people I saw at the Berkeley Half Marathon, 10K, and 5K were running with earbuds. Consider buying and downloading your favorite songs to your smartphone in advance, since Spotify or Pandora or other streaming services can really run down your phone’s battery. For a 5K it may not matter, but if you’re doing a longer run, then this is more important.
Additional personal backstory: Why I wanted to run
In December 2020, a car door hit me in the head, giving me a concussion that meant I was on medical leave for several months. My doctor said not to run, or even jump, and I was resting in bed most of the day for weeks on end.
When I tried to do an unfamiliar yoga pose sequence after 6 weeks of mostly bed rest, I encountered a further setback of spraining both ankles and knees when I attempted an unfamiliar yoga pose too early in my concussion recovery. (My tip: if you have a concussion, don’t exercise! Rest like it’s your job! Listen to your doctor.)
Thankfully, I made a full recovery, with the help of friends, family, and coworkers, and besides getting back to work full time in June 2021, one of my post-concussion recovery goals was to run again. I also knew I was back to 100% in November 2021, when I completed a one-month online course in addition to working full time, which was about 55-60 hours a week of work!
Once my doctor said I was OK to do high impact exercise, I started off with strength training in the summer and fall of 2021 with a personal trainer and then primarily used the Couch to 5K program, although it was a bit abbreviated (the full Couch to 5 K schedule is 9 weeks and I had about 7). And the rest is history!