I ran a 5k with a new mindset and here’s what happened
I’ve got a friend who loves to run. She does races every month all over the country, and I admire her because I don’t really enjoy running and don’t think I could ever handle the length of races she does. I recently agreed to join her for a 5k even though I didn’t train and I haven’t done one in YEARS.
I’ve done quite a few 5k races in my life and they were all miserable. You know why? It’s because I convinced myself that I had to 1) run the entire thing without walking and 2) stay within a 10-minute mile. For some silly reason, I thought that if I walked, even for a second, or didn’t finish fast enough, that I was a failure.
If you’re a Type A perfectionist like me, we don’t like being bad at things, right? And running is something I’m just not great at. So I either push myself to succeed at it (no matter the cost) or just don’t do it at all. Every time I’ve done a 5k with that unhealthy mindset, I finished feeling exhausted and ended up sore for days.
But I’m in a better place when it comes to my fitness mindset these days. I decided going in to this race that I didn’t have anything to prove to anyone, or most especially, myself. I put ZERO pressure on myself to run a certain pace or to complete it under a certain time. My friend usually does these races in walk/run intervals. We synched our timers and stuck to the pattern of :45 running and :30 walking. We chatted along the way, danced to our music and talked about the scenery. It was actually FUN because it was no longer some competition inside my head.
About halfway through the race, a man in a wheelchair passed us. He did the entire 5k with his arms, and I was blown away. I’m not sure if he was trying to stick to a certain pace or had any specific goals, but he was a great reminder for me that we are blessed to be able to move our bodies. And even if you’re not the best, the fact that you can move is something you absolutely can’t take for granted.
For once, running a 5k flew by. It didn’t feel like an eternity to the finish line, because I wasn’t tired. I finished feeling accomplished and energized. No, I have no clue what my time was, nor do I care. I had fun and I finished — and that’s what matters.
Ironically, at the end I told my friend I felt like I could have run more. Maybe even a 10k next time. Who am I? That’s something I never thought I’d want or be able to do. But this is proof that when you shift your mindset away from making exercise punishment, it really makes it more enjoyable and sustainable.
So who’s ready to run the next race with me?
