At the beginning of November, I decided it would be a great idea to run a 5K. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. It was one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve ever had. The experience overall had its highs and lows and things I would’ve done differently.
Playlist
I signed up for this 5K because it was supporting an organization on campus called HuskyTHON which is a year-long fundraiser for Connecticut Children’s. If you want to learn more read this article about the organization. Therefore, I took this opportunity to do some fundraising of my own. I posted on my Instagram, “For every $2 you can add a song to my playlist.” This was the playlist I would be using during the 5K. People took this opportunity to put random songs that they thought would be funny for me to run to. It helped motivate me because it was distracting me from the actual running I was doing.
zero experience
I don’t run. Running is not in my nature. This proved to be a challenge when I was then running three miles through a college campus in the cold weather. My entire family was shocked when I announced that I would be running a 5K. The last time I actually had to run was when I had the school-mandated mile in the sixth grade. So this was definitely a big jump from that point. But, nonetheless, I persevered and finished the 5K with a smile on my face. It was such an accomplishment and made me feel like I’m really able to do what I put my mind to.
aftermath
One thing I wish I had known prior was how important it is to stretch. I have always been the worst about stretching before and after exercise. I have danced all my life and even then I never properly stretched. This definitely bit me after the run because I did not stretch enough. When I was on the phone with my mom after I finished, she reminded me that I needed to stretch. I had no idea what I was doing and definitely could’ve done a better job. The next morning, I woke up and my legs hurt beyond belief. Well, if it wasn’t for the consequences of my own actions. For days I laid in my bed with a heating pad resting over my calves. This was definitely an important lesson that hopefully I retain, but likely won’t.
While some areas of the 5K were rough for me, I couldn’t recommend this experience enough! It is fun to step outside of our comfort zones every now and then. I will definitely consider putting myself through a 5K again. Maybe next time I’ll kick it up a notch!