5k Race - Finished!

I ran the 5k in 26:25, which is the fastest I've ever done! I'm pretty happy with my time, but I do think I could have finished a little faster. Grant ran alongside me the whole way, so that was nice (I'll tell you more about that later...). I also meant to take a picture after the race, but forgot.

The weather held out, and it was actually enjoyable. It was warm (70s probably), but not too humid thankfully. There were a TON of people there...at least 150 if not 180. They said it was the most they've ever had! The race was at the Riverwalk, so it was just a paved trail that went through the woods. We went out to a turn-around point and then finished at the start. They didn't have mile markers (at least that I saw), so it was hard to know your pace. A guy was calling out times at the turn-around point (mine was 13:04), which was nice, but still. I also wish I had been familiar with the route because it was hard to know how much was left so I wasn't sure when to pick up my pace toward the end (why I think I could have went a little faster). Anyway, it was a good race and I had fun, although I was pretty tired and remember thinking it was hard! I just kept trying to pick people out that I wanted to pass! :)

They gave out awards for the top 3 finishers in each age group (mine was 25-29), and I thought I might have a small chance to get one. Well, since there were so many people (and mostly women!), I didn't make it. I'm not even sure how close I was to the top 3, but I did finish 39th overall, so I figure I can't be too far off. There were some kids there that did beat me though, haha! Once they post official race results, I'll try to remember to blog about it.

So anyway, Grant let me finish before him, but here's the kicker. He gets the 1st place award for males in the 25-29 age group! If I had been a man, I would have won that! I also beat the 2nd or 1st place finisher (can't remember which) in the 20-24 age group! Apparently there were a lot of women age 25-29 running! We just thought it was so funny that I beat him and he still got a trophy! Guess it goes to show that I can never out-do him at anything! ;)

5k Race Day!

Just getting ready to leave for the race. So far, the weather is cloudy but still warm and no rain! I'm keeping my fingers crossed it will stay dry. A little windy, but not too bad. I think Grant is going to end up running with me, but he doesn't want to pay the fee to enter in the race, lol. So we'll see if they let him run or if we end up paying. I'm hoping to run under 27:00 (9:00 mile), which I've been pretty close to doing on my training days. I'll let you know how it goes later today or tomorrow. Wish me luck!! :)

5k Training - Week 8

Final week!

Monday 4/27 - Rest
Tuesday 4/28 - 3 mile run
Wednesday 4/29 - CT or Rest (I'll probably do 15 min on the elliptical & some weights.)
Thursday 4/30 - 2 mile run
Friday 5/1 - Rest
Saturday 5/2 - RACE DAY!

As I've said before, the training is set up for a Sunday race, so they say to have 2 rest days before race day, but I'm not following their "rule." I'm pretty sure I'll be fine. I'm pretty happy with my time so far...3 miles is coming in around 27:00, give or take a few seconds (9:00 mile). I'm hoping to run under that for the actual race. The adrenaline and other people there will hopefully help! Last week during my 3 mile runs, I was pretty tired and had to walk for a minute or so, but it was pretty warm outside, so hopefully it goes better this week. I'm also praying for no rain...right now, the forecast is calling for rain/storms on Saturday. I'm not sure I'm going to run if it's actually raining. That would be just miserable!

5k Training - Week 7

2 more weeks of training...they are actually the same workouts each week. The race is Saturday May 2nd at 8:00am. Grant is going to run with me if he doesn't have another roll-call on the 1st. I'm pretty consistent running a 9:00-9:15 mile lately, although my 2 mile runs on Thursdays work out to be 8:30 or so.

Monday 4/20- Rest
Tuesday 4/21- 3 mile run
Wednesday 4/22- CT
Thursday 4/23- 2 mile run
Friday 4/24- Rest
Saturday 4/25- 3 mile run
Sunday 4/26- 40 minute EZ

5k Training - Week 6 Repeat

When I began training, I had 9 weeks before the race but the program was 8 weeks long. So I decided that I'll repeat last week. I also didn't do my 35-40 minute EZ run yesterday (Sunday), so I fell off the program a bit there. But I figure since I'm repeating this week, it's not a huge deal. And I won't be typing out this week's schedule, since it's the same as last week. I am doing pretty well with my time though! Hoping to keep up my current pace even with the longer distance. I can do my 2 mile at about an 8:25 pace, and Saturday my 2.75 was around a 9:00 pace.

5k Training - Week 6

Monday 4/6- Rest
Tuesday 4/7- 2.75 mile run
Wednesday 4/8- CT (no more optional rest days!)
Thursday 4/9- 2 mile run
Friday 4/10- Rest
Saturday 4/11- 2.75 mile run
Sunday 4/12- 35-40 minute EZ (another 5 minute increase from the past 2 weeks)

Running comfortably a 10 minute mile. I've had to run on the treadmill a couple of times the past week, so I've been pushing myself up to a 8:30-9:00 mile pace toward the last part of my run. Yesterday, Grant ran with me for my EZ run. We did 30 minutes at a nice pace around base. I felt pretty good throughout the jog...I think Grant was more tired than I was!! That made me feel pretty good, knowing I could keep up with him, endurance-wise. Maybe this training is really paying off! :)

5k Training - Week 5

Monday 3/30 - Rest
Tuesday 3/31 - 2.5 mile run
Wednesday 4/1 - CT or Rest (I'll do the elliptical & weights.)
Thursday 4/2 - 2 mile run
Friday 4/3 - Rest
Saturday 4/4 - 2.5 mile run
Sunday 4/5 - 25-35 minute EZ

I can't believe it's week 5 already. 4 weeks (including this one) left until the program is finished. My race isn't until May 2, so I actually have 5 weeks until race day. I think I might just repeat one of the upcoming weeks. Today I did the 2.5 mile run on the treadmill, so it wasn't too bad. It's always seems easier than running outdoors. I picked up the speed at the end though, so that was tough. This week's Thursday run also increases from the 1.5 miles it has been the past four weeks to 2 miles from here on out. Still running about a 10 minute mile, especially when I'm on the treadmill, although I know I can handle going faster.

I've enjoyed the training so far, though. It gives me a pretty good workout and an excuse to exercise 4-5 times a week. I think that, after the race, I'll try to keep up a 2-3 mile run when I do my workouts a few times a week and then give myself a break with the bike or elliptical on the other days.

5k Training - Week 4

Monday 3/23 - Rest
Tuesday 3/24 - 2.25 mile run
Wednesday 3/25 - CT or Rest...I'm going to do my step video, some weights, & abs.
Thursday 3/26 - 1.5 mile run
Friday 3/27 - Rest
Saturday 3/28 - 2.25 mile run
Sunday 3/29 - 25-35 minute EZ

So I'm up to 2.25 miles this week, or 9 laps around a track. I did yesterday's run on the treadmill because it was windy outside. Last Saturday's 2 mile run was on the outside track and it was pretty tiring. I think it ended up being around 18 minutes for the 2 miles, which is pretty quick. I tend to run faster outside than I do on the treadmill. I'm currently at about a 10 minute mile on the treadmill, but I'd like to get that down. It seems to be a pretty comfortable pace, yet still gives me a good run. I'm going to try to go faster in the next couple of weeks. The Sunday EZ run time has also increased by 5 minutes for this week and next. After this week, I'm halfway there!!

5k training - Week 3

Monday 3/16 - Rest
Tuesday 3/17 - 2 mile run
Wednesday 3/18 - CT or Rest...I'll do half elliptical and half weights.
Thursday 3/19 - 1.5 mile run
Friday 3/20 - Rest
Saturday 3/21 - 2 mile run
Sunday 3/22 - 20-30 minutes EZ...I've been doing a slow jog.

So far, so good with the first 2 weeks. Yesterday's EZ jog was nice...about 2.5 miles I think in about 25 minutes. It was maybe closer to 2 miles, I can't remember. I used www.mapmywalk.com to check the mileage a while back. I did my 1.75 mile run on Saturday in about 18 minutes, so that's a little more than a 9 minute mile, which is pretty good. Hopefully my 2 mile runs this week will be around the same time or even 20 minutes total. It's only week 3, but I'm feeling good about the training!

5k Training - Week 2

Monday 3/9 - Rest
Tuesday 3/10 - 1.75 mile run
Wednesday 3/11 - Cross train 30-40 min or Rest
Thursday 3/12 - 1.5 mile run
Friday 3/13 - Rest
Saturday 3/14- 1.75 mile run
Sunday 3/15 - 20-30 min EZ

I did the 1.75 mile run outside yesterday since the weather was nice, and it was tough for some reason! I'm going to guess that the wind and the changes in incline made the difference, or at least I hope so. I haven't done my CT yet today, but I'm hoping to get to the gym and do the elliptical and the bike. I should get going now so I can get back to watch Oprah! :)

5k, Here I Come!

Well, I've decided to run another 5k. I ran my first 5k race in April 2006, while I was in undergrad at Miami. I think I ended up with a time of 28 minutes or so. For those of you who don't know, a 5k is approximately 3.1 miles, which is actually short in the "running world." I didn't do anything special to train for my first one, but I decided that I wanted to have a plan for this one. The race is scheduled for May 2, here in Columbus, so I found a training schedule that lasts 8 weeks. I also think it will be a good way to get me back into the gym and running again, since I've been a slacker ever since my surgery and getting Wizzo. Grant has said he's going to run with me, but we'll see. ;)

Each week, I'll post my training schedule for that week. Here is this week's schedule beginning with Monday, March 2:

Monday 3/2 - Rest
Tuesday 3/3 - 1.5 mile run
Wednesday 3/4 - Cross-train 30-40 minutes OR Rest
Thursday 3/5 - 1.5 mile run
Friday 3/6 - Rest
Saturday 3/7 - 1.5 mile run
Sunday 3/9 - 20-30 minutes EZ (easy run, run/walk combo, or walk)

Today I did the elliptical for 30 minutes and then finished with abs for my cross-training session. The workouts all call for a 5-10 minute warm-up, cool down, and stretching at the end of the workout. I also thought it was neat because it gives a 5 week pre-training period for people who haven't ran before or in a long time. It allows you to gradually work up to the 1.5 mile run. I've been doing a 1.5 mile run a few days a week for quite a while now, so I just chose to start with the regular training schedule.

I'm really excited to do this and see if I can run a really good time! Wish me luck! :)