I was listening to podcast from TrailRunner Nation last week (an old May episode). The person they were interviewing was a guy who goes by the nickname, “The Sock-Doc.” Oddly, he didn't ever mention socks, but The Sock-Doc said that people think that running a 5K isn't a big deal anymore. Since nearly everyone and his dog is running a marathon these days, 5K seems like nothing. If you run, you've got to go BIG. And by big, they mean you've got to go FAR. Shoot, people run marathons as their first race. Yikes. Lauren Fleshman wrote an article for Runner's World titled, “10 reasons the 5K is freaking awesome,” arguing that with the marathon, so much of the focus is on “completion, not on competition”, whereas racing a 5K “encourages you to develop a combination of endurance, speed, and strength.”
So what about the 5K as a race? Like any kind of “race,” you can run it so fast you end doubled over grabbing your knees and wanting to pee your pants. Or, you can run chatting with your friend about last night's awesome movie and the new exotic restaurant you tried (perhaps Cuban?). Some people even take selfies.#picswhilerunning. Whatever floats your boat, right? I've seen both sides of this distance in the last few months since I've run three 5Ks since May. Twice I've run with my daughter, and once I tried my hand at racing.
For the last 6 months or so, I've been running weekly intervals with a group. Running with non-relatives was new and different. Tuesday nights with the Oregon Road Runners Club gave me the confidence to set my sights on breaking 20 minutes in the 5K. McMillian's Pace Calculgator helped me zero in on my goals by helping to tell where to shoot for on my intervals. Thanks, Greg—love your book. New, different...Fast. Gulp.
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| Racing the 5K |
How was it? Damn hard. It started and ended HARD. For a second during the race, I thought, “this pace feels pretty good.” Then I looked at my watch and I realized that I had slowed down, “Ahhh no wonder.” I told myself, “it's not supposed to feel good. I am supposed to be pushing the edge the entire time.” My legs begged for me to stop, my lungs burned, but head said, “come on...go faster!” No taking pictures, discussing movies or food. The thought of food was disgusting---even my beloved grapefruit. There is a 30% chance that I may have been able to grunt an utterance, the world will never know. It was all worth it, when I crossed the finish in 19:36. It was well over a minute from my previous PR, and I didn't pee my pants!
What about the flip side? You know, what about those folks running well back from the leaders. Running with my daughter, I found out that, well, they have a good time. Lots of talking, giggling, and even high fives along the way. Many more people in costumes. It's different, but not entirely “easy” for them either. If you pay attention, you'll notice that, at some point, they zero-in, breathe a little harder, and chat much less as the finish looms.
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| Running a 5K with my daughter, Maya |
I am proud of every single person who pins on a number and moves themselves from the big letters of START to FINISH. 5K or 50K...break-neck pace, or loping along...it does NOT matter. Pace is dependent on personal goals and why the person is out there. It's possible to push during ANY distance and the 5K can certainly take your body and mind to the edge if you are willing to go to that edge. Running a marathon is similar---you can coast or struggle, the choice is yours. You decide what is “uncomfortable” when you exit the comfort zone: distance, pace or running dressed as Tinkerbell. In the end, it's worth trying something outside of your comfort zone, whether it's about running or not. Why not try a new restaurant, a different pair of shoes, or even singing in front of people?
I've been contemplating racing the mile or even a 1500 on the track. The dreaded oval? Heck, it would be something different for sure.