Getting Ready for My First 5K

The Dillsburg Pickle Chase 5K is exactly one week from today! I am very excited but also very nervous to be competing again, even if it is a different sport. I have a very busy week ahead of me with schoolwork and I want to be as prepared as possible to run on Saturday. I decided to make a list of things I need to do for both school and running to ensure that this week goes as smoothly as possible.

1. Pick out running outfit
As of right now it is supposed to be 73 and rain on Saturday. I don't mind running in the rain as long as it is also warm, although I much prefer running when it is sunny out. I know that I don't need to put too much thought into my running outfit for such a small race but I don't want to be missing any pieces of clothing come Friday night.

2. Make a running playlist
Even though a 5K is a pretty short race I still plan on running with music. If Callen decides to run with me than I will have to talk to him about our race day plan. I don't know if he would want to stick together the whole time or actually race it. I have a current playlist that I have been running to for the past few weeks but I am getting pretty sick of some of the songs and really want to find some new music to get me pumped up. Feel free to make any suggestions!

3. Study for and take Nutrition, Psych, and Business finals
That's right; this is finals week for me and luckily I only have three. However, I really need to study a lot for my business final since I am not doing as well in that class as I would like to be. My plan for right now is to study today and tomorrow and then take my nutrition final tomorrow. I don't need to do much studying for my psych final so I will probably take that on Tuesday to get it out of the way. Then I can spend the rest of the week studying for my business final. Friday is the last day to take it so I am going to take it then.

4. Stretch everyday
My legs were a little tighter this week than before and I really want to make sure that I am feeling the best I can come Saturday. I thought about buying a foam roller but I don't want to try anything new this week so I am just going to stick to basic stretching. I want to stretch before and after every run to ensure that I am feeling loose and ready to run. I am also thinking about swimming some this week to open up my upper back since that has been pretty tight too.

5. Hydrate lots
I have never been good about hydrating. When I was swimming my coach used to have to force me to drink during practice. I am going to make sure to get a minimum of eight glasses of water a day this week. I know this may seem to low to many other runners but this is a very high amount of water for me and I don't want to drink so much water this week that my body is in shock about it.