I ran the Sisterhood's Annual Virtual 5k today and even though it wasn't a race, I am very happy with how I did. My two goals were to do the 5k in about 45 minutes and to run the entire way. The last time I timed a 5k I did it in 51:36. The Sisterhood used C25k to train for this 5k. Ya'll know I love C25k but I didn't follow the training schedule because of time conflicts with my current routine and I also wanted to give my shins a chance to heal properly. I did two thirty minute runs in December so my body wouldn't be in total shock. Here's my recap of today's run:
Mile1: speed 4.2, feeling good
Mile 2: starting to get tired, slowed down to 4.0
Mile 3: Woohoo, I can do it! Back to 4.2 mph and counting the tenths of a mile...
Mile 3.1: Yessss! Finally!
Six whole minutes faster than last time! I can't believe I ran the whole way (minus walking about 45 secs when I first got on the treadmill). I was dead tired when I finished and had a ridiculous runner's high. I was aiming for sub 45 minutes but I'll take 45:38! Next up: refuel and get in some core work and stretching.
Eggs, Spinach and Salsa with a whole wheat English Muffin and Cashew Butter
Last night I felt like Forest Gump. I hopped on the treadmill to get in a run in an attempt to maintain the progress I've made in the running arena and much to my surprise, I could not stop running. I told myself initially that I would aim for twelve minutes of continuous running since I've only been able to do about ten minutes continuously for the past few weeks. Well, ten turned to twelve and twelve to fifteen and I still felt great. Before I knew it, twenty five minutes was coming right up! I stopped at twenty five minutes but I felt like I could have kept on running. It was amazing! I really don't know what made the difference with this run. Might have been all the stretching I did this week, or the crazy inclines that I walked earlier in the week, or just the lack of pressure... who knows. I just know that I am happy with the way my body keeps surprising me. Last Sunday I picked up my Jeanette Jenkins Pilates DVD after weeks of not practicing and busted out this move at the end for the first time ever!!!!
The Rollover
That's twice in one week that I surpassed my own expectations! That is one of the things that I love most about this fitness journey.
In my last post I talked about possibly running a 5k (3.1 miles). Well, the race day was yesterday BUT because I didn't get a chance to train the way I wanted to and was sick for a good part of the previous week, I chickened out of doing it. What I did do however, was sign up to be a volunteer- hence the T-shirt and bib number (they gave us one so we could participate in the raffle). The race was the Dr. Richard Sarkin Memorial Run/Walk in honor of Dr. Sarkin who was a Pediatrician in Western New York.
I came up with a whole lot of reasons why I shouldn't/couldn't run the 5k- I think it was mostly anxiety because it would have been my first. In addition, I have never been to an actual race before. Thankfully, I read in someone's blog post a few days ago that a good way to familiarize yourself with the process is to be a volunteer and so that's what I did. Overall, I had a blast! My job was to stop traffic in the area that I was assigned along with one of my classmates when the runners came through. Thankfully there was also a cop there because those people were not trying to listen to us. A few of my classmates ran the race and it was fun to encourage them and the other runners along as they passed us. One thing that stood out for me was how appreciative the runners were as they were passing by. Many of them thanked us and I thought that was really nice - something to keep in mind for all of you race runners out there :-). My classmate who I was with and I got to know each other better and talked about our interests in running. It turns out that she was using Couch-to-5k as well! While she is more ambitious than I am and hopes to run a marathon in the future, maybe next spring we can be running buddies.
When I got home I was so inspired and realized that I really could have run the 5k that day. There wasn't much to it. So, I got on the treadmill in hopes of redeeming myself and close to an hour later.....
... my 5k was done! 3.1 miles in 51:36 minutes. Not bad considering that I haven't been running seriously for over 2 months. I look forward to running an actual race (next spring maybe... it's getting too cold for ME to run outside). And the moral of the story... if there is something that you really want to do, volunteering is a great way to familiarize yourself with the process and also inspire you to make it happen!
It's been a while since I have posted on the bloggie. April was a whirlwind of a month and though I had a lot of fun (and worked my butt off), I can't say I am too sad to see it go. I have been mostly consistent with my workouts- I think I got in about 4 days per week. I took a few rest days each week though to nurse my shins and prevent major injury. I have also been keeping up with the Couch to 5K program and it has been great! I finished week 5 today and made it through a full 20 minutes of jogging without stopping. I have NEVER done this in my life. I remember when I started this program I couldn't even run 1 minute without feeling out of breath. What I have learnt so far is that you can definitely keep running long after you think you can't. It's all about mental toughness. I have four more weeks to go and I will be celebrating the end of the program by running my first 5K in June!
In other news, May 15 will make 90 days since I started this journey. I will be back next week with a post on what I have accomplished in the last 90 days. Happy exercising!
