0:15

Welcome to the Not Your

0:18

Average Runner podcast. I'm Jill Angie,

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a certified running coach and your

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running BFF. Here to help you

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start running, feel confident and love

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the journey, no matter your size.

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Now if you've ever felt like

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you just weren't meant to be

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a runner, think again. I believe

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that running is for all bodies,

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even yours. This podcast is your

0:39

warm-up buddy, giving you tips, motivation,

0:41

and the support you need to

0:43

lace up and get moving. I've

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helped thousands of women

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become runners and now I want

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to help you. Let's go. Hey

0:52

runner and welcome back to the

0:54

show. So today we are talking

0:57

all about how to pick your

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first 5K race. Now if you

1:01

are brand new to running, or

1:03

maybe you're coming back to it

1:05

after a long time, I know

1:07

that signing up for a race

1:09

can feel super intimidating. I hear

1:11

it all the time. It's like,

1:13

what if I'm the last person

1:15

to finish? What if everyone's faster

1:18

than me? What if I don't

1:20

even finish? And I get it.

1:22

these worries are very normal. I

1:24

had the same before my own

1:26

first 5K, but the truth is

1:28

the right 5K can make your

1:31

first race experience feel exciting, empowering,

1:33

and yes, even fun. So, fun.

1:35

So today I'm going to walk

1:37

you through exactly what to look

1:40

for in your first 5K, how

1:42

to avoid some common mistakes, and

1:44

how to set yourself up for

1:47

a finish line moment that you

1:49

will never forget. Now, the very

1:51

first thing to consider is

1:53

timing, and not the race

1:55

clock, but actually your calendar.

1:57

So if you have just...

2:00

running, maybe you are still building

2:03

your consistency. I recommend picking a

2:05

race that is at least eight

2:07

weeks away, at least. Why? Because

2:09

that gives you time to train

2:11

in a way that feels manageable

2:13

and not panic inducing. Now if

2:16

you are already running regularly and

2:18

you can do at least a

2:20

mile and a half of runwalk

2:22

intervals, yeah, you might be able

2:24

to do a 5K sooner, but

2:26

here's the thing. I want you

2:29

to feel confident and not rushed.

2:31

So choose a race that lines

2:33

up with your current fitness level

2:35

and gives you some breathing room.

2:37

Okay, next up is what I

2:39

like to call the race vibe

2:42

check. Not all races are created

2:44

equal. And I want your first

2:46

one to feel welcoming, not like

2:48

you accidentally wandered into an Olympic

2:50

qualifying event. So how do you

2:52

know what kind of a vibe

2:55

a race has? Well, there are

2:57

going to be some clues. First

2:59

thing to do is look at

3:01

that race website. Does it say

3:03

all paces allowed? Does it say

3:05

walkers are allowed? Because even if

3:08

you're not planning to walk, knowing

3:10

that they are welcoming to people

3:12

doing slower paces is going to

3:14

put your mind in. ease. If

3:16

they say pets are allowed or

3:18

strollers are allowed, again that is

3:21

another clue that they are going

3:23

to be very welcoming to people

3:25

of slower paces. Now look at

3:27

the race photos on their website,

3:29

on their social media. Are there

3:31

people of different sizes and body

3:34

shapes? Are there people of different

3:36

ages? Right? Does it look like

3:38

there is a wide variety of

3:40

paces represented? Look at the cutoff

3:42

time. This is going to be

3:44

on the website. Does it give

3:47

you plenty of time to finish?

3:49

If they tell you that the

3:51

cutoff is 40 minutes, you know,

3:53

if you're like me, that's not

3:55

going to be enough time. to

3:57

finish at 5K, you want to

4:00

look for a cutoff time of

4:02

at least one hour. So generally

4:04

races that support a local cause

4:06

or a school or a community

4:08

organization tend to be a little

4:10

more on the relaxed and friendly

4:13

side. Sometimes they actually will advertise

4:15

themselves or walk as walker or

4:17

stroller or pet friendly. So again,

4:19

if you see that, that is

4:21

a great sign. You can also

4:23

check race reviews on sites like

4:25

Bibbrave, or hey, ask in the

4:28

Not Your Average Runner podcast Facebook

4:30

group for recommendations if anybody else

4:32

has done the race. And if

4:34

you want to join that Facebook

4:36

group, you can just head on

4:38

over to the show notes. I

4:41

will have the link right there

4:43

for you. Now, the bottom line

4:45

is, you want to find a

4:47

race vibe that says, come as

4:49

you are, and not only fast

4:51

people are allowed. All right, so

4:53

just get that vibe right so

4:55

that you feel comfortable and welcomed

4:58

at the event. Next, let's talk

5:00

about location. So, for your very

5:02

first race, I personally recommend staying

5:04

close to home. Traveling for a

5:06

race can be super fun later

5:08

on, but it does add a

5:10

lot of moving parts like hotels

5:12

and traffic and parking and maybe

5:14

flights and unfamiliar surroundings. If you're

5:16

staying in a hotel, you might

5:19

not have your normal pre-race meal.

5:21

So for your first one, just

5:23

keep it as stress-free and simple

5:25

as possible and pick something very

5:27

local to you. Now, if the

5:29

race is local to you, able

5:31

to find one that's super close

5:33

by, you might even be able

5:35

to practice on the course ahead

5:37

of time. If you can look

5:40

at the website for the race,

5:42

they will tell you the route.

5:44

You might even be able to

5:46

run that route ahead of time,

5:48

or at least get familiar with

5:50

the area. And then that way,

5:52

on race day, you're not also

5:54

worrying about getting lost or finding

5:56

parking or all of that stuff.

5:58

And you know, honestly, being close

6:00

to home means you get to

6:03

have your support crew, your friends,

6:05

your family, your dog, all cheering

6:07

you on at the finish line.

6:09

And trust me, that makes a

6:11

big difference. So let's move on

6:13

to talking about the course itself.

6:15

You do not. I repeat. Do

6:17

not want your first 5K to

6:19

be a hilly nightmare. If at

6:21

all possible, find a race that

6:24

at least has some flat parts.

6:26

And you should be able to

6:28

figure this out by looking at

6:30

the race map. Now, if there

6:32

are steep sections, just be aware

6:34

for it. Be prepared for it.

6:36

But also, are you running on

6:38

a trail or pavement or gravel

6:40

or grass? Paved flat courses are

6:42

going to be the best for

6:45

beginners. Trails can be beautiful. I

6:47

love running on trails, but they

6:49

can also be unpredictable with roots

6:51

and rocks and mud, and there's

6:53

no spectators to cheer you on.

6:55

I've done some races that were

6:57

out in a field, not on

6:59

a trail, but just literally running

7:01

on the grass in a field,

7:03

and again, absolutely beautiful, but... it

7:06

can be unpredictable and when you

7:08

are running on pavement, it's just

7:10

so, so much easier to stay

7:12

focused on the running and not

7:14

get stressed out about tripping and

7:16

falling or anything like that. So,

7:18

I mean, unless you are already

7:20

comfortable on trails, maybe you are

7:22

a super regular hiker or you've

7:24

done all of your beginning running

7:27

on trails. If that's not the

7:29

case for you, I would suggest

7:31

going for a well-supported paved route

7:33

that is flat or maybe gently

7:35

rolling. Okay? Your body will thank

7:37

you, I promise. Now, let's move

7:39

into one of my favorite things

7:41

to talk about, which is why

7:43

you choose a particular race. Okay,

7:45

we talked a little bit about

7:47

vibes, but this is more about

7:50

what is the meaning that this

7:52

race has to use. So sometimes

7:54

it's literally just that the race

7:56

has a super fun theme. Like

7:58

it's a Halloween run where people

8:00

wear costumes. Maybe it's the hot

8:02

chocolate run and there's candy among

8:04

the root, right? The hot chocolate

8:06

run is one of my favorites.

8:08

Sometimes it's named something goofy like

8:11

the cheesestake Chase. And by the

8:13

way, that is a spoiler alert

8:15

and a shameless plug for my

8:17

upcoming mystery novel, which is going

8:19

to be about a plus-sized runner

8:21

and she solves a murder. at

8:23

the cheesecake chase. Anyway, that's neither

8:25

here nor there. I'm just putting

8:27

in my shameless plug. But sometimes,

8:29

you know, it's not about the

8:32

name of the race or the

8:34

costumes or whatever. Sometimes the race

8:36

might support a cause that you

8:38

really care about, like cancer research

8:40

or animal rescue or something along

8:42

those lines. Sometimes the race is

8:44

just on your birthday or your

8:46

run aversary, which would be the

8:48

anniversary of your first run, or

8:50

maybe it just has the perfect

8:53

energy in that you've seen other

8:55

people running this race and it

8:57

just looks like so much fun.

8:59

Whatever the reason is, I want

9:01

you to pick a race that

9:03

means something to you, because this

9:05

can make a big difference in

9:07

your motivation to show up, to

9:09

train, and to finish strong. And

9:11

it also gives you a story

9:14

to tell, right? It gives you

9:16

a moment to celebrate. Now, no

9:18

to-do list would be complete without

9:20

a to-don't list. So here are

9:22

a couple quick do-nots for your

9:24

first race. First of all, don't

9:26

pick one with a super short

9:28

cutoff time. And I mean like

9:30

if the cutoff time is 45

9:32

minutes or less, unless you know

9:35

you can comfortably run three miles

9:37

in 45 or 50 minutes, you

9:39

may be unhappy at the end

9:41

of the race. So pick one

9:43

that has a longer cutoff time.

9:45

Don't pick a race that has

9:47

the words trail ultra or cross

9:49

country in the name. Save those

9:51

first. another time when you are

9:53

more experienced. And then finally, and

9:55

this is really important. It can

9:58

be very tempting to sign up

10:00

for a race with a friend.

10:02

And I actually think it's a

10:04

great idea, but the first thing

10:06

you need to do when you

10:08

sign up with that friend is

10:10

agree, you are each going to

10:12

run your own pace because nothing

10:14

is worse than feeling, first of

10:16

all, feeling like you're holding somebody

10:19

back. So if you sign up

10:21

with somebody who's faster than you,

10:23

and you can tell that they're

10:25

antsy to kind of go a

10:27

little bit faster. If that person

10:29

hasn't, if you hadn't had that

10:31

agreement to run your own paces

10:33

and you thought she was gonna

10:35

stay with you and then she

10:37

takes off and you feel left

10:40

behind, make sure you have that

10:42

agreement ahead of time of how

10:44

you are gonna handle it if

10:46

you are running at different paces.

10:48

Okay, so signing up with friends

10:50

is great, but don't do it

10:52

unless you have a really well

10:54

understood agreement of how you are

10:56

going to start, run, and finish

10:58

the race. All right? Okay, so

11:01

just a quick recap of what

11:03

you want to look for. The

11:05

race should be at least eight

11:07

weeks away, flat paved course, as

11:09

flat as possible. I recognize there

11:11

may be some gently rolling hills.

11:13

Somewhat local to you, Walker and

11:15

all paces friendly, has a nice

11:17

generous cutoff time, like 60, even

11:19

90 minutes is absolutely ideal. Make

11:22

sure it has a meaningful or

11:24

fun vibe. Check the reviews, check

11:26

the photos to see if there

11:28

is a diverse crowd. And then

11:30

finally, you want to look for

11:32

a race that makes you feel

11:34

a little bit excited, maybe a

11:36

little nervous, that's okay, but not

11:38

dreading it, right? We want to

11:40

have positive feelings about this upcoming

11:42

event. Now, just some final thoughts

11:45

here, my friend. Your first 5K

11:47

is not about your time. Please

11:49

remember this. It's not about your

11:51

time. It's not about your pace.

11:53

It's not about what anybody else

11:55

thinks. Your first... race is about

11:57

you saying I am doing this

11:59

for me so please choose a

12:01

race that supports that goal a

12:03

race that makes you feel safe

12:06

makes you feel seen and that

12:08

lets you cross that finish line

12:10

with pride whether you run walk

12:12

skip or disco dance your way

12:14

to the end it still counts

12:16

it always counts I promise you

12:18

now if you want support every

12:20

step of the way from picking

12:22

that right race to crossing that

12:24

finish line I've got you. Come

12:27

check out Run Your Best Life.

12:29

This is where all the magic

12:31

happens. You can get all the

12:33

info on that at Run Your

12:35

Best Life.com or check out the

12:37

show notes for the link. And

12:39

my friend, that is it for

12:41

today. So if this episode spoke

12:43

to you, take a screenshot, share

12:45

it on Instagram, tag me at

12:48

Not Your Average Runner because I

12:50

want to cheer you on. All

12:52

right, now I will be back

12:54

next week with more tips to

12:56

help you run strong, run happy,

12:58

and run your way. And until

13:00

then, remember that you are a

13:02

runner, no matter what your pace

13:04

or your body size is. And

13:06

I'll talk to you next week.

13:09

Bye. Real quick before you go,

13:11

I've got a fun challenge for

13:13

you. Take my exercising personality quiz

13:15

to find out exactly what kind

13:17

of exercises you are and how

13:19

to make running feel easier and

13:21

more enjoyable. Just head over to

13:23

not your average runner.com/quiz to take

13:25

it and get your results. That's

13:27

not your average runner.com/ quiz.