My first 5k Run ... Ever

What and When
BUTTERBALL BURNER 5K Fun Run at the Homewood-Flosmoor Racquet and Fitness Club on Friday After Thanksgiving 2012. As this was a Fun Run and not a sanctioned race, this event does not offer running times but there is a clock at the end for your convenience.

Hey there. I am Jason Ward 6' tall and 300lbs and I have spent the last decade sitting in front of a computer. Now I have decided that for 2013 I will participate in several triathlons. Crazy Right. This post is about my first 5k run in a group and timed.

There were about 50 people who participated in the Butterball Burner Fun Run 2012 and I was one of them.

At this point I have only run indoors on a treadmill for the 5k training. Technically I finished at 41:06. This would make my fastest 5k time. My fastest 5k time on a treadmill was 43 minutes. I know slow but I am just getting started.

The beginning of the race was cold! About 30 deg F and the wind was high. In the first picture most have their backs turned as it was very windy and cold. A few "special" people decided it was OK to wear shorts. Even after the race I was happy I wore running pants that were wind proof and insulated. My blue jacket I am wearing is actually my fishing jacket for spring and fall fishing on my boat. It is made of GORETEX so it is wind and water proof. The main reason I wore this jacket for this race is that there are vents under the arms that unzip to allow air flow. The helped tremendously as my core temperature was rising during the run.

Yes, those are ski gloves on my hands. They ended up in my pockets 5 mins after the race start.My hat I wore was soaked. Next time I need a proper wicking thermal beanie that will also cover my ears.

I was wearing a heart rate monitor and I used the app RunKeeper on my Iphone to track my distance and speed. I tried to keep my heart rate under 155bpm and found that I had to slow down a few times. I suppose the adrenaline of running with other made me push harder. I did end up walking 2 times for about 5 minutes each just to get my heart rate down and my knee started hurting a little. I was passed by many but I did end up finishing just behind the middle of the group.

I only had water and a honey stinger waffle that morning and had no issues during the run. I also did not take any hydration(water) during the run. It was cold and it did not hinder me I feel. I did drink a lot of water after the race as I was quite thirsty.

Some photos from the event.