Once I graduated from college, I realized I needed an emotional break from the 5K. I raced other distances for the next three years, trying my hand at some half marathons and coming close to a PR in the mile. But while talking it over with my coach this afternoon, I realized training for it would supplement my half-marathon preparation well, and there are a decent number of fast races near where I live in eastern Pennsylvania.
Not going to lie, my PR of 14:20 is looming over me, and I know how much the race is going to hurt. Yet I want to give it a go-anxious thoughts notwithstanding.
MARCH 16: I'm beginning to remember I have a love/hate relationship with the 5K on the track.
In college, it was far and away my best event. I graduated in 2021 after earning all-conference honors at the Big South Championships my senior year. It's the race I have the most experience in-and I'm really proud of that 14:20-but frankly, the distance scares me.
Nothing hurts like a fast 5K. I've gone into dark places during them. If you're running at your fastest and the field is competitive, it feels like you're being pulled behind an airplane on a rope, hanging on by one hand. Any lapse in concentration or effort, and your PR is toast.
In the moments after running a fast time, however, you're flooded with endorphins, adrenaline, and relief. The agony is over; it's time to celebrate.
MARCH 20: I forked over $26.38 and registered for the 5K at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia.
A race that's under $30? That's rare. Most big races are quadruple that these days. Running at the Penn Relays has always been on my bucket list. It's the biggest track meet in the world!
Denne historien er fra Fall 2024-utgaven av Runner's World US.
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Denne historien er fra Fall 2024-utgaven av Runner's World US.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
TO RUN 26.2 IS TO FEEL ALIVE
THE SUN IS rising from the east, and the waves of the Pacific crash below to the west.
LEAVE IT UP TO A PIECE OF PAPER TO TEACH YOU TO RUN EASY
BEFORE I FELL for running, I thought the hardest thing about the sport was the fast stuff: the speedwork, the sprints, and the intervals.
WHY-AND HOW-YOU SHOULD RUN DOUBLES
Those are just a few of the titles entered into my training log for the second run of a day.
FIND YOUR RUNNING COMMUNITY, ONLINE OR IN PERSON
I SIGNED UP for my first marathon while sobbing in the back of a rideshare, on my way to the airport to fly to my uncle's funeral.
FUEL WITH WHAT YOU WANT TO EAT
AS AN ULTRARUNNER, I'm all too familiar with the saying that long-distance running is an \"eating contest with a running component.\"
AT THE FERTILITY CLINIC, MY PAST CAUGHT UP WITH ME
I SAT IN the fertility doctor's office white walls, bare wooden desk, opaque window-alone.
THIS IS NOT AN ESCAPE STORY
AT 15, DARLENE STUBBS WALKED AWAY FROM A POLYGAMOUS CULT-THEN DISCOVERED A NEW LIFE AND COMMUNITY THROUGH RUNNING.
RUNNING WITH HANK
How my daughter's rambunctious mutt saved my sanity while she was lost to the darkness.
WHEN I FOUND OUT I HAD MS.I THOUGHT I'D NEVER RUN AGAIN.
I checked the pins on my bib, shimmied my spandex shorts into place, and teed up the stopwatch on my wrist.
A RUNNER'S GUIDE to sleep
Nike rocked the running world in 2018 when it released the Vaporfly 4%, claiming that the shoe could boost a runner's efficiency by that amount.
