I Ran a 5K! Why I Did It and Exploring PHED Classes
by Emily Quintanilla ‘24
I am exceptionally bad at all of my hobbies. As someone who leans towards perfectionism, this has always frustrated me. Activities that were supposed to be fun quickly turned sour when I stagnated in my progress — how could I have fun when I wasn’t improving my skills in a productive way?
This went on for years, and as a result, I never stuck with hobbies for more than a few weeks at a time before I gave up on them. However, in the effort to ‘say yes’ to more things this semester, I decided to give one hobby a second chance: running.
When I was in high school, I used to volunteer at the LA Marathon. Oftentimes, this meant handing out water to all of the runners. Even at 7 a.m., the energy was electric — runners were bundles of nerves and excitement, and they were somehow always smiling. Every year, I was inspired to start my own running journey. And, as you might have guessed already, every year I gave up after a month or two of trying.
This semester, to hold myself accountable, I took advantage of USC’s 1-unit phys-ed classes and enrolled in PHED 132: Distance Running. The class has been the biggest influence in developing a new mindset about running and hobbies in general.
In PHED 132, we are split into groups (beginner, intermediate, advanced) based on our previous running experience and our running pace. Every week, the class does a mix of track and campus runs, alongside strength training and lectures about everything from nutrition to what running shoes are right for you. I was placed in the beginner group, which discouraged me at first; I was eager to jump in with the advanced crew to show that I was fast and ‘good’ at running. But what I love about PHED 132, which is taught by Coach Jennifer Guinter, is the emphasis on running sustainably. Coach Jennifer placed me in the beginning group for a reason: I am ‘bad’ at running. But the point of the class is NOT to become ‘good’ at running; it’s about challenging yourself where you’re at. For me, that meant taking it slow and celebrating my 12 minute miles. At least I was running consistently and, most important, safely.
Through PHED 132, I learned that “anything worth doing is worth doing poorly.” When I focused on the activity and not the result, I enjoyed running infinitely more. By not focusing on speed and breaking personal records, I felt other elements of my running improve; I focused on my breath work and my form, which helped me run for longer distances. I felt empowered by my first few weeks in class. I wanted to KEEP running, so much so that I decided to sign up for a 5K.
To more seasoned runners, a 5K (about 3.1 miles) might not seem like much. But I had to be real with myself: this was a decent challenge for me. There are many races in LA, of all distances, that take place throughout the year. I signed up for the LA Big 5K, hosted the same weekend as the LA Marathon. The course took us around Dodger Stadium (and had more hills than I was expecting), and my official time was 38:35 with a 12:26 pace. At this point, I can confidently say that the time doesn’t matter. After all, I just ran my first 5K! And that, to me, is a huge victory. It is a testament to me finally committing to a hobby I enjoy — and committing to doing that hobby poorly. To use a horrible running metaphor, life is not a race. Try something new and be bad at it!
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