Preparing for the Yuengling Lager Jogger 5k, My First Real Running Race

I posted this on Instagram the day I entered,
partially so I don't chicken out!

My relationship with running hasn't always been a positive one. It still isn't, depending on the day. I started training for a marathon when I lived in Alaska, but halfway through the program, I'd developed such severe ITBS that I had to quit.  I'd worked up to 10 mile training runs and it was a huge disappointment.

I haven't signed up for a race since then, and the only running I've done has been through my programming at CrossFit Love. When I started CrossFit in 2011, we all learned pose running techniques to maximize efficiency and speed. We do sprint (100, 200, 400 and 800 meter) intervals on occasion, run five miles or more once in a while, even take field trips to local park for trail running. Other than the fact that running isn't a primary component of my fitness regime, I've run 5k distances and beyond before, so what's the big deal?

The big deal is, I'm scared. Since learning the pose method, I'm running faster and issues with my IT band have been few and far between. I made the gradual transition to minimalist footwear for CrossFit, but perhaps not gradually enough. Last year, I found myself batting a mild case of plantar fasciitis after adding a few CrossFit Endurance-based runs to my regular training each week. It's since healed and I've been symptom-free for over a year, still happily doing everything I do in minimalist footwear (including a 4.75km run at CrossFit last week!). But it seems the longer the run, the more likely it is that I'll have an ITBS flare-up as my pose running technique falls apart. It happened during the adventure race I competed in this fall. Based on my injury history, it's hard to get past the notion that despite what I read in Born to Run, perhaps I'm just...not. At least, not very far.

Since the marathon training debacle, I've been hesitant to enter a race regardless of the distance. It's one thing for me to set a goal to run a given distance on my own and walk or slow down if things start to hurt, but it's a completely different story to sign up for a race, given how competitive I can be. When an entrepreneurial friend mentioned she partnered up with Yuengling to host a 5k race, it seemed like the perfect chance to face my fears.

Crossing the finish line for the Edge Adventure Race
in October (at a slow jog).

The Yuengling Light Lager Jogger 5k run/walk will start and finish at America's oldest brewery in Pottsville, Pennsylvania on April 13, 2013.  With any luck, I'll cross the finish line with a time I'm happy with, and without any IT band pain. But that's not all I'm hoping to get out of it. I'm also hoping to:

• Rekindle a relationship with a sport that, deep down, I really do enjoy, but that I'm honestly afraid of.
• Rid myself of the dread I feel when running comes up in CrossFit workouts. 
• Use it as a confidence builder. CrossFit is part of my daily routine; running isn't. If I'm able to set a goal time and achieve it based on the fitness level I've achieved through CrossFit, I'll feel pretty great. And if I can make it through without old injuries flaring up, perhaps a 10k or half marathon will be next.
• Use the race as motivation to supplement my CrossFit routine with more trail running this spring and summer. There's nothing quite like gallivanting around in the woods, and I don't do it often enough.
• Prove to myself that, when push comes to shove, I can keep my technique in line.

With all of that said, I'm looking to all of the experienced 5k racers out there for tips. I have a few ideas of my own, but can use all the help I can get from folks who've done this before. How do you typically pace a 5k - is it an all-out sprint, or a negative split effort? Do you take a watch with you to make sure you're on pace, or just trust your body? What do you base your goal time on? What does your pre-race routine look like? If I get a painful stitch in my side, what do I do to get rid of it without slowing down or walking?

I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!