5K Run. 4 Tips To Prepare…

“Finish it, then take two Advil”. Words of encouragement from the point-marker.

At Five o’clock each morning, I’m up and running. Yep, that was me during my high school days. I was on the track team. Funny thing is I never did it as a requirement. Just thought I’d go with my dad (a professional boxing champ) and worked out while he worked out. 100-meter sprint, 400 or 800 meter distance running was nothing. The preparation worked. I captured many awards which I sadly I did not keep to show my kids. Why? Because the value was not in the awards received, but in the talent I used it to benefit my school’s track and field events. The value was in supporting my teams at school, business house athletic championships and in the community.

The Prep: How to Prepare For The 5K

Here are Tony’s tips for how to prepare in 4 Weeks

1. Week 1: Brisk walk for 5 minutes. Jog slowly for 1 minute, and then walk for 1 1/2 minutes.
2. Week 2: Brisk walk for 5 minutes. Jog slowly for 1 1/2 minutes, and then walk for 2 minutes.
3. Week 3: Brisk walk for 5 minutes.
4. Week 4: Brisk walk for 5 minutes.

In addition, Judith front-line head Nurse and 5K Expert shared her top 3 Points:

_{1. One thing that I tell people to do is download the App “Couch To 5K”. That App trains you to run. 2. Make sure you eat an excellent breakfast for energy (oatmeal with blueberries; a big bagel with some protein – peanut butter is great if you like it. You need the carbs for energy). 3. Hydrate well during training and also the day before the run (I alternate with water and Gatorade for the runs). Happy running!}

How I Prepared

How did I prepare? Nothing. Nada. Actually, I decided I would go to support the worthy cause, take a picture and move on, back to the safety and warmth of my car, then return home. My mistake? I walked with the crowd of runners to the starting point. Then I decided to walk on just a little further…and a little further. As I progressed along the journey, the crowd seemed to have disappeared and my car was nowhere in sight. Father help! But then with no option to get back to my car on that very cold and windy morning, my high school coaching motivation chipped in. I walked slower and hydrated. Though the journey seemed never-ending, I got to the finish line …police escort and all.

Walk. Pray. Strategize

Yep! That’s what I did. I walked. Prayed and Strategized my year’s goals. This feat reminded me of my resilience. It started with my desire to support a worthy cause and ended with my learning to always be prepared (my girl scout motto). Although the journey seemed never-ending, the cheers and smiles of point-markers made it so much easier.

That said, be encouraged. Find your own point-markers to achieve your life’s goals–be it work, education, family or other. Keep advancing to your own finish line. Success awaits.

Cheers!