Whether you're a beginner or a professional runner it's important to HAVE FUN!! I ran Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, MN a few years back... that was my very first marathon! I did a ton of research and read a lot of books that help someone finish a marathon. A few things I took away from all of this was to have fun! If you don't have fun with it, you won't want to run again. I found that to be very true! I would stop and take pics with some of my friends along the way and I really enjoyed the scenery while running. Grandma's Marathon is a BEAUTIFUL run! Another thing that helps you have a little fun while running is the crowds. There are people lining the street with their sprinklers running so you can run through a sprinkler to cool down. People were handing out all types of fresh fruit and energy bars. There were even a couple of guys grilling and handing out brats and beers to runners. Don't get me wrong... that was a totally exhausting run, but I had fun!
Another thing to know is that when running you not only will hit a physical wall, but you can hit a mental wall as well. This is typically more for the long distance running, but if you're starting out and 5K is really long for you, then it could be possible to hit a mental wall then. The best thing to do is to train so you can get past it. When you are out on your training runs and start to feel tired and mentally you want to quit and give up, the best thing to do is to keep going and tell yourself that you can do it. The more you train past this point, the easier it will be when you hit that wall during a race.
