Perfect distance
Mijn allereerste race was de 5 km tijdens de My very first race was the 5 km during the Reeuwijkse Plassenloop. The 5 km is a frequently chosen distance for beginners, but is often quickly replaced by the 10 km or more. When you ask someone, “What is your favorite distance?”, You rarely hear “the 5km”.
As far as I am concerned, the 5km is really a neglected child. I have now run all distances, last year (October 13, 2019) my first marathon. However, for me, 5 kilometers remains a perfect distance.
During a 5 km you can really give everything, show how much speed is in those legs. Toiling, fighting, being in pain, going to extremes.
I am a real racing fanatic, especially on the 10km. I love to run a super fast 5 km every now and then.
A while ago I asked in my stories (@ nathalie.de.boer): “Why do you rarely run a 5 km race?” Most replies include, “I’m on the road longer than I’m racing” or “the distance is too short.” I found this funny because, as far as I am concerned, these are the advantages of the 5 kilometers. And with virtualNL your race starts like the doormat.
I don’t need to explain to you that these answers don’t apply to a virtual race. You can run a virtual race anywhere and your endurance post as if it were your starting arch.
Even if you opt for a 5 km near you, say a maximum of 30 minutes, then the travel time is no excuse.
Example: The Reeuwijkse plassenloop, start race is 12 noon.
Get up 9.00 / 10.00 am, have a quiet breakfast, change clothes and go. For me this is a 15 minute drive, so if I leave at 11am, I’ll be there at 11.15am. Get the race number, warm up a bit and be ready to start at 12 noon. We all know this ritual, which is the same for every running event. The only difference with the 5 km is that after an average of 30 minutes (my time: 22 min.) You are ready again.
In the case of the Reeuwijkse plassenloop, there is no shower, so I have to return home for 15 minutes to shower, change clothes.
Calculated a little bit: 12.00 start + 30 minutes race + 20 journey back + 30 minutes Showering and changing = 13.20 ready to do something fun with family or friends.
(If there is a shower, you can save even more time)
So plan a 5 km nearby or race virtually. then yes after the race you can still have some plans or spend time with family / friends.