FROM SIGN-UP TO EXECUTION: TIMELINE OF A RACE

MARCH 14, 2024: After consulting with my coach today, I've decided to give the track 5K another try.

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Once I graduated from college, I realized I needed an emotional break from the 5K. I raced other distances for the next three years, trying my hand at some half marathons and coming close to a PR in the mile. But while talking it over with my coach this afternoon, I realized training for it would supplement my half-marathon preparation well, and there are a decent number of fast races near where I live in eastern Pennsylvania.

Not going to lie, my PR of 14:20 is looming over me, and I know how much the race is going to hurt. Yet I want to give it a go-anxious thoughts notwithstanding.

MARCH 16: I'm beginning to remember I have a love/hate relationship with the 5K on the track.

In college, it was far and away my best event. I graduated in 2021 after earning all-conference honors at the Big South Championships my senior year. It's the race I have the most experience in-and I'm really proud of that 14:20-but frankly, the distance scares me.

Nothing hurts like a fast 5K. I've gone into dark places during them. If you're running at your fastest and the field is competitive, it feels like you're being pulled behind an airplane on a rope, hanging on by one hand. Any lapse in concentration or effort, and your PR is toast.

In the moments after running a fast time, however, you're flooded with endorphins, adrenaline, and relief. The agony is over; it's time to celebrate.

MARCH 20: I forked over $26.38 and registered for the 5K at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia.

A race that's under $30? That's rare. Most big races are quadruple that these days. Running at the Penn Relays has always been on my bucket list. It's the biggest track meet in the world!