Well over the past few weeks my running has not been at the level I want it to be. After finishing my last race under 30 minutes, I was so excited that I was improving and doing it pretty quickly. But now I have gone backwards a little. I think it has been a combination of several elements. First, daylight savings time ended and now it's dark at 5:30. Basically as soon as I get home. I did a couple of runs at night in parts of the neighborhood that is well lit, but I just didn't like it. I tried to stay on the sidewalk but sometimes I would have to run in the road and I felt like I was dodging cars. Plus the safety factor of running by myself seemed worse at night.
Another reason is not being able to meet my running buddies for our group runs. Since most of them are in a program training for a half-marathon, they meet that group on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I could meet them on Saturday mornings but I haven't got that much motivation to give up my Saturday morning sleep in's. Between that and the colder weather and several rainy days, I was only getting about 2 runs in a week. There was also a week in there that I just didn't feel good. I didn't get sick but I just didn't feel 100%. That's why I didn't run in the Free to Breathe 5K.
I realized that I lost some of my motivation and was finding it easy to make excuses to not run. And another race was coming up the Greensboro Gobbler. The 5K that is held on Thanksgiving morning. I had to step it up for this race. The Gobbler is at Country Park which is hilly and not my favorite place to run. We met there several times during the running school. So I went out there to run the Sunday before Thanksgiving. It was a HORRIBLE run! My left leg has been bothering me. I think it's my IT band. I don't think I'm injured, just part of running that sometimes makes your muscles sore. But it started hurting as soon as I started my run. I even had to take a few walk breaks. About a quarter mile left to go, my time was so bad that I just stopped my watch and walked the rest of the way. After that run, I was not looking forward to the race on Thursday.
On Tuesday, I was able to meet Kathy and Lisa for a 3 mile run on the greenway. I knew I needed to get another run in even with my leg hurting. I thought it was getting better, but I think it's just the temporary fix of taking Advil. Again, as soon as I started running it was hurting. I managed to run the entire time but I was slower. This time I was the one falling back behind pace and struggling to keep up. Even though the run wasn't great, it was helpful because I knew what to expect on Thursday's race.
I was going to run the Gobbler and it would be slow and that would be OK. I knew it was going to hurt some, but not to the point of injury. If I felt like the pain was worse or different, I would walk. The last thing I want to do is get injured and not be able to run at all for weeks or months. Been there done that! I wanted to do the Gobbler because it's a big race and we were all doing this race as a family. I wanted to do it for the experience.
It was pretty chilly Thanksgiving morning but we got to the race site early to get a parking spot. I wasn't nervous because I knew I could do it, it was just going to be slower. There was SO many people! About 1800 finishers to be exact. I started back at the 10 minute pace which was a mistake. I thought this was a race for runners to RUN...not for walkers to walk! I understand many 5K's are run/walks, but this race wasn't a race that supported a specific cause, it was just a Thanksgiving race. Not to mention 1800 people so of course the trail is going to be crowded. So once I finally made it to the start line, I had to dodge walkers. It was very frustrating! Really it would have been fine if all the walkers would start at the back and stay to the left so runners could go by. I guess now I know to start closer to the front and just let all the fast runners pass me.
My leg hurt the entire time but I did manage to run without any walk breaks. My finish time was 34:46. That was actually better than I thought I would do. I did it and in a decent time so I was happy with that. After the race, my leg was hurting pretty bad. I was actually limping some. Back to stretching and Advil. I am also going to give it a rest with running even though I don't want too. I really wanted to do another race that's in 2 weeks, but I'm not sure if my leg will be ready. I'm going to keep exercising but just not running until I think it's better. I don't want to stop running right now, but I don't want to be injured either. Hopefully with a little rest, it will get better quick!
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Nightmare on Elm Street 5k
Well I did it! Another PR on my Halloween themed 5k. My first finish time UNDER 30 minutes! Official chip time was 29:38. And I did it running in a costume! I was dressed up as Little Red Riding Hood which was the super cute costume I was so excited about. Not saying I was super cute, but I just loved the costume.
I really can't believe that I finished under 30 minutes. After the Freedom Run last week, it seemed like a possibility but I thought it would still take a while. Honestly when Saturday got here, I wasn't even sure if I was still going to run in this race. It had been raining Friday and early Saturday morning and it was cold. My husband had a race that morning so we were up early and out in the yucky weather. But it stopped raining and the sun even came out for the afternoon. It was still cold though and windy. And I knew I had to do it - after all that's why I bought the costume a month ago.
We got to the race site and I signed up. It was a small race with only about 70 runners. I'm not sure why because it was actually a pretty cool run downtown and wasn't too hilly. Plus there was beer and pizza afterwards. Several runners were dressed up and I had hoped to win the costume contest (I need some new running shoes), but I didn't . A girl dressed up as Beth from that show "Dog the Bounty Hunter" won the contest and was the first female finisher. It was a pretty cool costume, she ran in a wig and 2 big balloons!
After I made the last turn to the finish line, I checked my watch and it was around 28 minutes. I could see the finish line so I thought I would give it all I could to try and finish under 30. As I was almost at the finish line, I checked my watch and it was around 29 minutes and I realized I was going to do it. It was such a great feeling! We stuck around after the race for a little bit as I tried to drink a beer, but it was getting colder. I am glad I stayed long enough to get my award - an awesome pint glass! Actually all runners got one, but it was still cool.
Of course now comes some doubts like, was the course really 3.12 miles? I know it wasn't certified not all courses are anyways. But that could explain why I finished under 30. Hopefully, it was the actual true 5k distance. Each 5k race I have consistently improved my time. But when is that going to end? Now I'm worried that my next race I won't do as well. What if I don't finish under 30 next time? All courses are different. Some may be faster while some may have more hills.
I know it's not realistic to think I will get a PR every time I race and I'm not thinking that. But of course, it would be nice to finish under 30. I have another race next Saturday the Free to Breathe. It's also downtown but not the same course as my last race. Although it does have a portion of that course in it. It's a national race so it's probably going to be the biggest race I have ran in so far. Maybe I will finish under 30, maybe I won't. I'm not going to let that be my goal. My goal is to go out there and do the best I can.
We got to the race site and I signed up. It was a small race with only about 70 runners. I'm not sure why because it was actually a pretty cool run downtown and wasn't too hilly. Plus there was beer and pizza afterwards. Several runners were dressed up and I had hoped to win the costume contest (I need some new running shoes), but I didn't . A girl dressed up as Beth from that show "Dog the Bounty Hunter" won the contest and was the first female finisher. It was a pretty cool costume, she ran in a wig and 2 big balloons!
After I made the last turn to the finish line, I checked my watch and it was around 28 minutes. I could see the finish line so I thought I would give it all I could to try and finish under 30. As I was almost at the finish line, I checked my watch and it was around 29 minutes and I realized I was going to do it. It was such a great feeling! We stuck around after the race for a little bit as I tried to drink a beer, but it was getting colder. I am glad I stayed long enough to get my award - an awesome pint glass! Actually all runners got one, but it was still cool.
Of course now comes some doubts like, was the course really 3.12 miles? I know it wasn't certified not all courses are anyways. But that could explain why I finished under 30. Hopefully, it was the actual true 5k distance. Each 5k race I have consistently improved my time. But when is that going to end? Now I'm worried that my next race I won't do as well. What if I don't finish under 30 next time? All courses are different. Some may be faster while some may have more hills.
I know it's not realistic to think I will get a PR every time I race and I'm not thinking that. But of course, it would be nice to finish under 30. I have another race next Saturday the Free to Breathe. It's also downtown but not the same course as my last race. Although it does have a portion of that course in it. It's a national race so it's probably going to be the biggest race I have ran in so far. Maybe I will finish under 30, maybe I won't. I'm not going to let that be my goal. My goal is to go out there and do the best I can.
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| See how windy it was? |
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| You can see the girl dressed up as Beth in the back |
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| The first hill |
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| Hill on Elm St. getting closer to the end |
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| Near the finish I was running as hard as I could! |
Monday, October 24, 2011
USMCR Freedom 5k
This past Saturday I ran in my fourth race the USMCR Freedom 5k. Actually, we (the family) all ran in this race. The race was organized by the Marines and it benefited the Hope for Warriors. The race director is the husband of one of my running friends from the running school. A few of the girls from our running group also ran in this race. Everybody did GREAT!! I set a new PR of 31:22!! I was so surprised (and happy) with my finish time. I'm starting to think a finish time of under 30 minutes is going to be possible. Maybe after a few more races. I also met another goal - I ran the ENTIRE race. No walk breaks, yay!
It was pretty chilly outside that morning so it gave me a preview of what fall running will be like. It wasn't that bad once I started running. The body heats up pretty quick. I wore a pair of compression capris (which I love now) a long sleeve tech shirt and the tech race shirt. The race shirt was thin so it was purely for fashion purposes! Actually about a mile into the race, I wondered if I would get too hot in long sleeves. I didn't think about the sun being out - when I ran eariler in the week it was still chilly but in the evening and the sun was going down. But it was all good. Here are some pics.
I was also very proud of my son since this was his first race and he had a finish time of 26:38! And proud of my husband who also set a new PR of 20:23 and won first place in his age group! We are becoming a running family! Well onto the next race which is this Saturday and it's the Halloween themed race. Remember that super cute costume I mentioned in an eariler post? I don't think I will be setting any new PR's running in a costume but it's still going to be fun!
It was pretty chilly outside that morning so it gave me a preview of what fall running will be like. It wasn't that bad once I started running. The body heats up pretty quick. I wore a pair of compression capris (which I love now) a long sleeve tech shirt and the tech race shirt. The race shirt was thin so it was purely for fashion purposes! Actually about a mile into the race, I wondered if I would get too hot in long sleeves. I didn't think about the sun being out - when I ran eariler in the week it was still chilly but in the evening and the sun was going down. But it was all good. Here are some pics.
I was also very proud of my son since this was his first race and he had a finish time of 26:38! And proud of my husband who also set a new PR of 20:23 and won first place in his age group! We are becoming a running family! Well onto the next race which is this Saturday and it's the Halloween themed race. Remember that super cute costume I mentioned in an eariler post? I don't think I will be setting any new PR's running in a costume but it's still going to be fun!
The past few weeks
It's been a few weeks since I have posted because nothing really exciting has been going on in my running world. I did find a training program for an 8k online by Hal Higdon. I found his name from another running blog that I read. It seemed like the level I needed was intermediate because it started with 3 mile runs which is what I have been doing. But the total weekly mileage was around 16 miles for the first week and I have only been running about 9-10 miles a week. That seemed like too much of a jump at this point. The training program also included speed training and a longer slow run once a week. I would like to do both of those in addition to my weekly runs. So I didn't really start following the plan but I have continued to run about 10 miles a week. The 8k that I plan to run is not until March 2012 so I have some time to build up my weekly mileage and then I could start this training plan at a later date.
Am I a runner yet? Depends on your definition. I read this quote "If you run, you are a runner". Well, then by that quote I am a runner. But others may think you need to be able to run fast or run greater distances like marathons. One day last week I had a realization that I am a runner. We had to go by a store after work and it was about 6:45 when we got back home and I still needed to get a run in. It starts getting dark around 7pm. So I thought I would just go for a quick run around the neighborhood since the street lights would be on. I ran for about 20 minutes and it even started to rain some, just a little mist. Running out there in the dark I felt like a runner.
Now fast forward to the next evening's run. When I got home from work the skies were dark and it looked like it was going to pour down rain. We checked the radar and it looked okay. If we went ahead and ran we could probably make it back home before the rain. We is my hubby (Michael), my son (Ryan) and myself. Ryan and I are running together since Michael is super fast. There was a light mist when we started and I hoped it wouldn't start to rain harder. But it did. As soon as we hit the trails the rain started to come down harder. I found some trees to hang out under and decided that was it for me. Of course the boys continued on to run, not phased by the rain. It was at that point that I realized...uh...maybe I'm not a runner after all. I will admit I'm not that dedicated to run in the pouring (or halfway pouring) rain. And I'm OK with that.
Am I a runner yet? Depends on your definition. I read this quote "If you run, you are a runner". Well, then by that quote I am a runner. But others may think you need to be able to run fast or run greater distances like marathons. One day last week I had a realization that I am a runner. We had to go by a store after work and it was about 6:45 when we got back home and I still needed to get a run in. It starts getting dark around 7pm. So I thought I would just go for a quick run around the neighborhood since the street lights would be on. I ran for about 20 minutes and it even started to rain some, just a little mist. Running out there in the dark I felt like a runner.
Now fast forward to the next evening's run. When I got home from work the skies were dark and it looked like it was going to pour down rain. We checked the radar and it looked okay. If we went ahead and ran we could probably make it back home before the rain. We is my hubby (Michael), my son (Ryan) and myself. Ryan and I are running together since Michael is super fast. There was a light mist when we started and I hoped it wouldn't start to rain harder. But it did. As soon as we hit the trails the rain started to come down harder. I found some trees to hang out under and decided that was it for me. Of course the boys continued on to run, not phased by the rain. It was at that point that I realized...uh...maybe I'm not a runner after all. I will admit I'm not that dedicated to run in the pouring (or halfway pouring) rain. And I'm OK with that.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Running school comes to an end
Last night was the celebration picnic for the women's running school (WRS). We met at a park that we have ran a few times. Of course me and some of my running buddies managed to get in a short 2 mile run before the picnic started! After eating and chatting, we recognized all the coaches who made it possible for us to finish this running school with success.
The Women's Only 5k was this past Saturday and unfortunately, I was not able to run in it because of work. I normally don't work on weekends except for twice a year and this year it just happened to be October 1st. But it's okay, there is always next year. And I am so glad that the girls on the black team all did great! I wish I could have made in this picture but don't they look great?!
This is a picture from the Women's Only race last year that I again wasn't able to run in, but did volunteer. Also this was the day I made my hip flexor injury much worse (see one of my first posts). That's me being not-so-slim in the front left corner. To be fair, I did have on two t-shirts, a jacket and that lovely orange vest. But what a difference I am physically from one year ago. Wow.
I never actually wrote down my goals for the running school (like I was supposed to in my manual) but I had them in my head. When I finished I wanted to: 1. Run 3 miles at least 3 times a week; 2. Run in 5k races; 3. Improve my 5k race time; 4. Find a group/new friends to run with. I'm happy to say that I met ALL of my goals!! I'm so glad I joined the WRS and as I said in one of my earlier posts, the third time was the charm! I truly believe I am on my way to becoming an official runner. What is an official runner? I guess that all depends on who you ask. I'll save my thoughts on that topic for a later post.
So now that the school is over what's going to keep me motivated and running? Well, I have a list of 5k races to get me through December. Five races if I make it too all of them. One of them being a Halloween themed race and I actually purchased a costume this past weekend! This is not me at all - I normally don't get into dressing up and haven't since I was a kid. I wasn't even looking for a costume, but saw the cutest one and it was pretty cheap (but didn't look cheap as far as costumes go). I had originally decided not to do the race because Michael (my hubby) has a race that morning and my son has a football game later. It is already a busy Saturday. But after I found this costume, the idea popped in my head that I had to get it and run in this race. So I did! OMG, it's so cute I can't stand it!
Besides the races, I need to figure out a training plan. A few of my running buddies plan to join another school. This one is a 16 week program that trains you for a half-marathon. They plan to do a half-marathon in March. I'm not ready to start training for a half-marathon. I do want to improve my pace and distance. I think this school will also offer a 10k program if there is enough interest. Still, I'm not sure that I want to commit to another school right now and spend more money. These race fees add up! Plus, there is a bunch of information and training plans online for free. Running in the fall is going to be new for me. I'm going to need some warmer running clothes and I'm sure I need a new pair of running shoes! It will also be getting darker earlier and eventually our group will not be able to run in the evening. I guess I will be spending more time at the Y on the treadmill. So I think my plan is to find a training program online that will increase my pace and distance, continue meeting my running group and run in some 5k races!
The Women's Only 5k was this past Saturday and unfortunately, I was not able to run in it because of work. I normally don't work on weekends except for twice a year and this year it just happened to be October 1st. But it's okay, there is always next year. And I am so glad that the girls on the black team all did great! I wish I could have made in this picture but don't they look great?!
This is a picture from the Women's Only race last year that I again wasn't able to run in, but did volunteer. Also this was the day I made my hip flexor injury much worse (see one of my first posts). That's me being not-so-slim in the front left corner. To be fair, I did have on two t-shirts, a jacket and that lovely orange vest. But what a difference I am physically from one year ago. Wow.
I never actually wrote down my goals for the running school (like I was supposed to in my manual) but I had them in my head. When I finished I wanted to: 1. Run 3 miles at least 3 times a week; 2. Run in 5k races; 3. Improve my 5k race time; 4. Find a group/new friends to run with. I'm happy to say that I met ALL of my goals!! I'm so glad I joined the WRS and as I said in one of my earlier posts, the third time was the charm! I truly believe I am on my way to becoming an official runner. What is an official runner? I guess that all depends on who you ask. I'll save my thoughts on that topic for a later post.
So now that the school is over what's going to keep me motivated and running? Well, I have a list of 5k races to get me through December. Five races if I make it too all of them. One of them being a Halloween themed race and I actually purchased a costume this past weekend! This is not me at all - I normally don't get into dressing up and haven't since I was a kid. I wasn't even looking for a costume, but saw the cutest one and it was pretty cheap (but didn't look cheap as far as costumes go). I had originally decided not to do the race because Michael (my hubby) has a race that morning and my son has a football game later. It is already a busy Saturday. But after I found this costume, the idea popped in my head that I had to get it and run in this race. So I did! OMG, it's so cute I can't stand it!
Besides the races, I need to figure out a training plan. A few of my running buddies plan to join another school. This one is a 16 week program that trains you for a half-marathon. They plan to do a half-marathon in March. I'm not ready to start training for a half-marathon. I do want to improve my pace and distance. I think this school will also offer a 10k program if there is enough interest. Still, I'm not sure that I want to commit to another school right now and spend more money. These race fees add up! Plus, there is a bunch of information and training plans online for free. Running in the fall is going to be new for me. I'm going to need some warmer running clothes and I'm sure I need a new pair of running shoes! It will also be getting darker earlier and eventually our group will not be able to run in the evening. I guess I will be spending more time at the Y on the treadmill. So I think my plan is to find a training program online that will increase my pace and distance, continue meeting my running group and run in some 5k races!
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