Last week, my boyfriend told me he was signing up to run a 5K, and that I should come watch him. “Or, you could sign up with me!” he said lightheartedly, to which I replied, “Okay, sure.”

And so I spontaneously signed up for a 5K four days before the race.

Now to those of you who are runners, this probably doesn’t sound like a big deal – after all, what’s three miles and change to you half marathon-ers out there. However, I am no runner. I’ve been having some very minor knee issues, for which I’ve been seeing a physical therapist, and I do work out regularly, but the most I run at a time is a mile – and that happens at a maximum of three times a week.

I was feeling like pushing myself, though, and this race – The Ryan Shaw Memorial 5K Run – seemed like a great opportunity to do so. Most importantly, it would allow me to contribute to a good cause; on a personal level, the race encouraged running and walking equally, so it seemed like a low-pressure situation in which I could test my abilities. I had nothing to lose.

So, I began getting myself ready for the 5K. I Amazon prime’d some inexpensive wireless headphones, and asked my physical therapist to show me what stretches I should do in preparation.

While I knew I was probably physically prepared, I was worried about my confidence level, so to overcome that, I decided to run my own 5K on a treadmill two days before the race. Much to my surprise, I finished in 36.5 minutes without any pain or soreness in my body, which really made me feel secure going into the real deal on Saturday.

My boyfriend and I arrived at the race on Saturday, signed in, and each got our racing bibs, which would track our time. Pinning that number on my shirt was way more exciting than I ever expected.

I did my stretches, and when it was time to line up, I headed to the front with the rest of those who were planning on running. After a final countdown, the race began.

At first, it felt like a lot of people were passing me, but I tried not to let myself get bothered, instead focusing on myself and listening to the playlist I had put together the day before.

I made it about halfway through before I needed to take a break from running and let myself walk for a bit. Then, from there on out, I ran the majority of the time, walking when I needed to rest or drink a cup of water on the way.

Finally, I saw the finish line, and got a boost of energy as I sprinted to beat the 34-minute mark. According to my official time online, I clocked in at 33 minutes and 56 seconds, and it was one of the most satisfying feelings ever.

Looking back, I, as a novice 5K runner, have a lot of takeaways from this race. First of all, as you can see from my time, there’s definitely some extra motivation in running a race than alone on a treadmill. While a treadmill may be a smoother surface, during a race, you run alongside others and get a change of scenery, which can make the run all the more interesting. Number two: stretch, stretch, STRETCH. My calves were so sore the rest of the day that I can’t even imagine how I would’ve felt if I hadn’t stretched before AND after the race. I also discovered that it probably wasn’t the best idea to run a 5K two days before the real one. By doing so, I overworked my body beyond what it’s used to, and my knee felt pretty sore in the following days. And above all, running a 5K is a really rewarding feeling (especially when it supports a cause), and you should feel very proud of yourself afterwards.

Oh, and always sprint in those last few seconds – you’ll be happy you finished up strong.