First 5K in 15 years

I did the Jingle Bell 5K last night. It was super fun. I like the night run with the party after. I got 60th place (top 6%) overall and 7 in age group with a 20:00 min time. That was my goal and is a PR (I think). I may have run a 5K faster in high school cross country, but I cannot remember.  I was never all that fast.  It was definitely my fastest 5K time as an adult.

I did pull my hamstring a little, but not too bad (see below).

Congrats at Shaheen and Coach Nick on kick butt PRs!

Here's the data:


5Ks are so different from Marathons. In fact, other than the fact that you are running, there is nothing in common.   Here are my initial thoughts about it:

Pace:  In the Marathon, you have to use your mind to deliberately control your pace in an effort to maintain energy levels.  In the 5K, it is basically as fast as you can sustain.  I think form plays a big role in the 5K, because if you can run clean and efficient, you can go a bit faster for the same oxygen consumption.  There were moments last night where I felt like things were aligned well for a few minutes and then it got sloppy again.  I need to learn how to stay in the groove better.

Fuel & Hydration:  In the marathon, you have to consume lots of carbs before and during the race to have enough fuel to finish.  In the 5K, you don't even think about it.  I did not even take water at the stop.  In fact, it is bad to eat before the race because of cramps.

Warm Up:  You do not need a warm up before the marathon because you can really just use the first mile as a warm up.  In the 5K, you really need to do 2ish miles accelerating up to 5K pace before to get warmed up to avoid injury.  I did this, but it was too early and I was cool by race time.  My hamstring pulled a bit in the first 100 yards because of this.  Next time I am gonna warm up right to the start.

Breathing:  In the marathon, you are no where near your VO2 limits.  In fact, you are at a very comfortable breathing level the whole way.  In the 5K, at least for me, this is the limiting factor.  I was at my VO2 redline most of the way.  It did seem controlled during the 2nd and 3rd miles and I was feeling super strong toward the finish.  For me to get faster in 5K, I need to do more speed work and push out my VO2 limits.  Breathing is such a mental block for me.  There is a point where I know my body has more, but I hold myself back due to heavy breathing.  This happened last night.

Fast Twitch vs. Slow Twitch:  I don't know a lot about this, but I know I have much more developed slow twitch muscles than fast twitch.  My 100 yd max speed is just over my 5K speed and should be much faster.  This is because I don't do much track work and have focused on the marathon.  Int he marathon, fast twitch do almost nothing for you, but they can really help in the 5K.

TL;DR:  5Ks can be a really great way to balance out your running journey and are a stark contrast to the marathon.