The new Vlog, Beer. Run Geek. here on Ideology of Madness gave me the idea for this post. If you haven’t taken the time to give it watch, click on the link in the sidebar for our YouTube channel and give it a watch.

Christmas is just around the corner. After that we will run head long into the new year. With the new year come the ubiquitous new year’s resolutions. One of the these resolutions tends to be run a 5K race some time during the year. It is seen as a way of starting to get exercise without having to invest a lot of money in a gym or equipment.

I am a runner myself and thought I would give some advice for those contemplating this resolution for the turn of the new year.

My first piece of advice is don’t make it a resolution. I know, this is just crazy talk! This what you do on New Year’s Eve, make resolutions. My point is that resolutions have this way getting broken. Instead, I am going to say you should set a goal. A goal is something that one strives to achieve and can set up tasks that get them closer and closer to making happen. It is just the change of a word, but when what you are trying to accomplish can seem so difficult you need every advantage you can get.

The is leads easily into my second piece of advice which is, plan. You aren’t going to be able to just head out on the Valentine’s day 5K so quickly after setting this goal. You need to set a reasonable time frame for when you want to run your first race. After picking a date, then you have to find a race that falls within your chosen time period and supports a charity with which you are comfortable.

You’ve set your goal and you’ve created a plan. Now, you’ve got to train. This is both the easiest part and the hardest. It is the easiest because there are a ton of apps available to help you train that are either free or just a few dollars. I used the Zombies! Run! 5K training app as I enjoy the story line and found that it made the process of training fun. Training is the hardest part because this is something you have not done before and the first few times are going to rough. You are going to have to put in the effort in the beginning to just make it through the first through training sessions. IF you do, things will get easier.

As you begin your training regime, I you should take a trip to your local running store. You are going to do this so that you can tell them that you are training for your first 5K and need a good pair of running shoes. They will then size your foot and put you on a treadmill to analyze your gait. they will then explain the type of shoe that will help you prevent injuries. They will help you find something within your budget to make this happen and point you to local groups that are training for the same thing. This gives you people to share the experience with as well as ensuring you don;t hurt yourself in the process.

A final bit of advice, fuck the time clock. I know, It is a race but trust me. Fuck the time clock. This is your first run. If you go into it worry about your time, you are going waste energy that is better spent on running. If you don’t worry about the clock and just focus on finishing the race, you will most likely be happy with your first race time.

Get out there and set your new year’s goal as a 5K race. Get out there and run!