This weekend I ran in my first ever 5k race. For someone who has been obese and out of shape for so long, running in a 5k is a milestone and an incredible accomplishment. Since I’ve lost weight I’ve felt stronger and more agile with greater endurance, so I decided it was time to take on the challenge of running a 5k.

I’ll get into more detail in the future about my actual process of training for it, but today I want to talk about something that I experienced while running the race itself. I wan to give some advice for when you are about to run in your first 5k.

First off, let me say that I have been timing my 5k practice runs, and while I am not a speed burner by any means, I felt like my 32-33 minute times were a great start for me. I felt comfortable while running at this pace, no cramps or pain, and was able to complete the entire 5k run without walking.

Then the race day came. I was pretty excited about taking on this challenge, but I also told myself not to worry about my time or the place I finish, and to simply accept the personal victory.

That is easier said than done.

Competitiveness and pride can sometimes cloud your otherwise good judgement. As soon as the race started I tried to stay at an even, comfortable pace. That didn’t last long.

My competitiveness and pride started to kick in when people were passing me left and right. Even though I am still not in as good of shape as a lot of the people I raced against in this 5k, I’m in the best shape I personally have ever been in. But when people are passing you, it is very easy to feel bad about yourself and want to kick it into another gear and speed up.

So, that’s exactly what I did. I started to run faster than my body was used to and by the time I hit the first mile marker, I was already feeling burned out. Burned out one mile into my first 5k race? Are you kidding me?

Fortunately I was able to slow my pace, catch my breath, and keep going and finish my first ever 5k race without walking. But I made it more difficult on myself than I needed to.

So my advice is to run your own race. Don’t do what I did and start feeling competitive and let pride get in the way when people are passing you. Especially if you are if you are new to running and this is your first 5k, don’t get caught up worrying about what other people are doing.

Stick to you own pace and be proud of your accomplishment.