I just signed up for my first 5K...

[rachel]

So, I've been on this "get healthy and lose weight" thing for a while now, and I finally decided to bite the bullet and sign up for my first ever 5K with some of my co-workers.
It's not a legit 5K, I don't think, as in there are giant inflatable obstacles along the way and it's not really timed, and you can skip things or go back and repeat the obstacles you liked best, but I figured that'd be okay for my first one.

Has anyone else done 5Ks before?
If so, how did you prepare for them? Just running?
Was it just a straight 5K or did you have obstacles? What 5Ks have you done?
If there were obstacles, how did you train for those, if you did?

I'm pretty excited about it, so I figured I'd ask other people about their experiences, too.
I think, for next year, I'm going to set myself a goal to run a half marathon before the year is over, but I'm nowhere near prepared for that yet, LOL.

I'm also looking for more opportunities to keep my eyes open for in the future, just in case you had a lot of fun at any particular 5K that might be coming to my area soon.

[Compulsiv]

5ks like that are fun. I sign up for them occasionally here in Colorado because it feels like we have one every other freaking week. The blacklight run or the color run or even the bubble run was pretty cool. Runs like that arent difficult because they arent competitive. THey are fun and you can just enjoy the experience. I actually took my 7 year old to two of them and we kinda walk and jog and do whatever at our own pace. Definitely a great step towards getting fit, even if you only walk the whole thing.

[rachel]

5ks like that are fun. I sign up for them occasionally here in Colorado because it feels like we have one every other freaking week. The blacklight run or the color run or even the bubble run was pretty cool. Runs like that arent difficult because they arent competitive. THey are fun and you can just enjoy the experience. I actually took my 7 year old to two of them and we kinda walk and jog and do whatever at our own pace. Definitely a great step towards getting fit, even if you only walk the whole thing.

Yeah, I've actually heard mixed reviews about some of those types of 5Ks. One of my co-workers loves running and challenging herself, so she HATES the 5Ks like this Inflatable one and the Color Run because there are sooooo many people who are there for a good time, so it makes running through them to challenge herself and beat her own personal records really hard. But then, of course, there are the people who are just starting out or are doing it for fun or to support a good cause.

I'm thinking that I'd rather focus on the funner, more casual runs for now until I want to start to challenge myself to improve my times and what-not, but then I can totally see how, when I make that transition, I'd rather focus on the races that are more like, well, races. xD

A blacklight run sounds awesome! I've tried to find one like that coming up here, or a glow run or anything, but nothing within the next few months... Maybe next year! The bubble run looks fun, too, but I think I'd bust my butt on that one, LOL.

[Water]

Congratulations and Good luck, generally when I train for long distance, I run up hills, do some strength training and eat a lot,
If you have access to a treadmill run with an incline. Also invest in a good pair of sneakers and socks.
If you enjoy the 5K, you should sign up for the fun colour run!

[rachel]

Congratulations and Good luck, generally when I train for long distance, I run up hills, do some strength training and eat a lot,
If you have access to a treadmill run with an incline. Also invest in a good pair of sneakers and socks.
If you enjoy the 5K, you should sign up for the fun colour run!

Thanks!
I've added the running in with my daily strength training, but I haven't thought to use an incline (yet), which is proooooobably going to kick my butt.
I've actually been pleasantly surprised with my ability to run distances, it's just my times that suck - I can run for a long time, but that doesn't mean I'm fast, basically.
But that's okay, I'd rather have the endurance to finish and improve my time as I go than be so fast/quick that I burn myself out. xD

I did invest in a pretty nice pair of running shoes a few months ago when my workouts started getting more serious, I've just always been more of an elliptical girl. xD
Thanks for the advice!