So, tomorrow is my first 5k. I'm really nervous. It's not the running that I'm worried about, it's just that I've never done this before and I know there are going to be thousands of people there (literally - there are 4000 runners alone, not counting volunteers and spectators). I'm not sure how many of those people are doing the 5k, but hopefully there won't be too many.
So I have a lot of questions, and they said on the website that they would have volunteers to assist new runners at today's expo. Well, I never had the opportunity to talk to one of these special volunteers...there were so many people there, and the race bib pick-up location was different from where we picked up the swag items...so it was very confusing. The store sponsoring the event is huge, and easy to get lost in without large crowds of people. There's a Ferris wheel inside the store - I'm not exaggerating when I say that this place is huge! (It's the only place I've ever seen an indoor Ferris wheel.) The man giving me directions to where to pick up the packet said, "Turn by the saltwater fish. If you see freshwater fish, you're going in the wrong direction." Um...how am I supposed to know the difference between saltwater and freshwater fish? Couldn't you just put up signs with arrows?
I'm going to show up early tomorrow - but how early should I show up? The 5k race starts at 7:30, and it takes me about 20 minutes to walk from my house to where the race starts. I'm thinking I'll leave tomorrow around 6, and plan to get there about an hour early, and hopefully that will be enough time. Also, what should I wear? They gave out a free t-shirt at the expo - am I supposed to wear that, or not? They also said that the event will be chip-timed - what does that mean? Does the chip start timing at the start of the race or when you cross the start line (since I'll be towards the back, I'd like to know how fast I run the 3.1 miles; not how long it took me to get to the start line)? What do I need to bring with me - is ID necessary? Also, the race bib comes with a tear-off portion at the bottom, with spaces for name, age, and address. Do I fill that out now? I feel incredibly overwhelmed right now and I wish that they would have been clearer about what to do for first-timers. Any help or advice you can offer would be much appreciated!
Have you run a race before? What advice do you have for someone running their first 5k?
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