My Very First 5k!

Last weekend I ran my very first 5k hosted by the German School of Washington D.C.'s Oktoberfest Run with a group of friends.  For those who don't know me, running has always been my least favorite way of working out.  I'd much rather be in the gym doing abs or doing some Les Mills Body Pump.  In fact, the farthest I'd ever run before was about two miles--and that was only a few days before the 5k!  Though my completion time of 40:30 has plenty of room for improvement, I was pleased with myself for going through with it.  The group mentality of being together with everyone else trying to accomplish the same thing was encouraging.

I doubt I'll ever find running enjoyable, but let me just say that if you put your mind to it, you can do it.  When I first started I could barely run a mile without huffing and puffing.  But by sticking with it and going for a 1-1.5 miles run a couple of times a week, you'll definitely start to notice an improvement in your endurance.  So don't lose hope!  Try the same distance for a week or two.  And when you feel you've got that down, then up your distance by a quarter of a mile and so on and so forth.  Before you know it you'll be ready to run your first 5k too!