5k: Competitive or Friendly

Over Thanksgiving break, on Friday, I ran in Avalon’s Turkey Trot. Even though I have run cross country the past two years, this event was my first time running a 5k outside of competition with OP. After experiencing both, I realized that, even though it is the same race, running a 5k is very different in a competitive race compared to a friendly race.

First, the preparations for these races, for me, were entirely different. Running for school, you prepare the whole season, starting in August. With this, you prepare throughout the week for a race. This is reflected in the training with a specific agenda each week. For instance, most weeks had a Saturday meet and would have a track day on Thursday and an easy day on Friday. Continuing, usually, before a big race I would try to rest the night before and aim to eat moderately healthy. This race was other extreme on the spectrum.

I did not find out about the race until after I woke up that Friday morning, still feeling the effects of Thanksgiving dinner. My family didn’t have anything on the schedule so we looked at what the town was offering. Soon we found out there was a 5k which seemed fun enough (keep in mind that only runners “enjoy” running), so my brother and I decided to run. We hustled out of the house and made it before the start, eating only half a piece of toast beforehand and hydrating minimally! It had been less than an hour since we had woken up!

During the race, there was a completely different feel. It was meant to be more fun and cordial, so the times, while they were still calculated, were not of the same significance as they are for the high school races. You run the race, and all types of people finish with their time insignificant. Being a competitive runner, I still aimed to do well. In a fun race on an easier flat terrain, I saw my time drop by 25 seconds since the last time I had ran which corresponds to a complete lack of running in between. Oops…. Overall, it was a cool mix up from the usual 5ks I have ran, and they both present a good time.

Image Link:

http://www.active.com/avalon-nj/running/distance-running-races/turkey-trot-2016