HOW LONG IS A 5K

Well I have been running and Jessica has been cheering me on. (Literally she is talking to me with my Bluetooth headphones. It is awesome. So I put a 5K on my bucket list. Yep that is what I have been training for. Well the other day I was talking to my sister in law and she informed me that her family is all running in the “Earn your Turkey Race” on Thanksgiving Day. “You should totally do it with us. It is a great race”. She said

“Ok well how long is it?” I asked

“Oh about 4 miles. no biggie. It’s like a 5K.”

“Oh ok! That sounds like fun. And what I get a shirt. Um totally sign me up!”

So I signed up…

Well I was talking with someone today at church and I said “Guess what I am totally running a 5K.” “Awesome I am so proud of you” was their response. “What is a 5K like 3.1 miles?”

In my new to running just signed up for what I thought was a 5K knowledgeable voice said “I thought it was like 4 miles.”

So I went home and looked it up and this is what I found:

How long is a 5K? You're a new runner and you keep hearing about it. Your friends have encouraged you to sign up for one, but you're not sure how long a 5K is and if you can do it.

The "K" stands for kilometer. A kilometer is 0.62 of a mile, which makes a 5K race 3.1 miles long or 16368 feet long or 5000 meters long. When you hear about races such as the Carlsbad 5000, Santa Monica 5000 or Reno 5000, you can know that it is a 5K or 3.1-mile distance event.

(I read this and thought “Sure! It’s like a 5K only LONGER”)

If you're looking to run your first 5K, you can simply focus on the distance knowing that you will already be setting a PR (personal record) that day. As you build up to your second or third 5K, you can focus more on time.

So how long is a 5K? It would be like:

• Running across a football field (91.44 meters long) 54.68 times
• Running around all four bases of a regulation baseball diamond (360 feet to round the bases) 45.47 times
• Running the length of an NBA-regulation basketball court (94 feet long) 174.13 times
• Running a little less than a fourth of the length of Manhattan (13.4 miles long)

A 5K is long enough to challenge you, but not so far that you'll become discouraged. At 3.1 miles, a 5K is a very doable running distance.

Note: Please consult your doctor before starting any exercise program.

Really!!! I read this and thought, “OH DEAR! WHAT HAVE I JUST DONE?)

Well there is no backing out now. (NO REFUNDS.)

There is nothing I can do now but Call Jessica and RUN!

WISH ME LUCK!