Race Day: Mission Accomplished

I have to say that my 5K didn't look quite like I thought it would. Matthew ended up having to work today which put a big kink in my plans for the family to cheer me on to the finish line down the street. The boys were sleeping so well, so I decided to try the treadmill. Part of me wanted to say forget about it, just run it on Monday. But I also wanted to run. So, I set up the treadmill. I couldn't decided if I should actually attempt the 5K or not so I decided just to start the 4 mph/20 minute program. The program builds you up to 4 mph and you maintain it for 6 minutes the come back down as a cool down. Well, I had gotten about a third of the way in and decided to go ahead and do the 2 min walk/3 min run. By the end of the 20 minutes I had done 3 sets and gone 1.28 miles. I figured then that it would take about 9 sets - 3 for each mile. As soon as the program ended I restarted the treadmill on manual and just adjusted the speed for each set. I had gone about .25 miles when the boys came down to the basement so they were indeed there while I 'raced'.

I experienced some interesting discoveries during my race. I figured my runs have been about 4 mph on the road. I was surprised to learn that the 4 mph on the treadmill was too slow! I ran comfortably at 4.5 for my sets and my walks were 3.5. Towards the end I did bring it down to 3.0 because I could feel my heart rate was too high but it was only for one or two sets. Since I restarted the treadmill in the middle, I was constantly trying to calculate how many more miles I needed to go to finish my 5K but just to make it simpler I decided when the counter hit 2 miles then I know I completed the race. With the restart, I was at 1.80 when I decided I just wanted to be done. I should have done another set of walk/run but instead I upped my speed to 5 mph and didn't stop until I reached the 2 mile mark. So for almost a whole quarter of a mile I ran at 5 mph!! I was so amazed at myself. It felt so good :) I stayed on the treadmill and slowly brought my pace down for another almost quarter mile. My total time with warm-up and cool down was 20 + 34:44 = 54:44 and my distance was 1.28 + 2.27 = 3.55 miles.

I think the treadmill experience was so much better because the terrain was so smooth and flat. When I am running around the neighborhood there are ups and downs and uneven surfaces and a dog to pay attention to. The other advantage of the treadmill is that it is constantly moving so I have to keep pace. Basically it helps me move along. The downfall is that the basement is very dusty. I could see me getting sick from trying to run and take in all that dirt on a regular basis.

I have felt really good all day after the run. My legs aren't too sore yet either though I am sure tomorrow they will be feeling it. I decided to keep up with the training and joined the 5K rookie program but starting on week 5. The first 4 weeks are the same as what I have been doing. Week 5 repeats the 2 min/3 min interval and then the following week it is 1 min/4 min. The 5K will fall on the second week of December. The goal is to run the 5K with no walking. We'll see how it goes :)

Gearing Up

Last night I talked to the boys about my 5K. I let them decide if I should run today or tomorrow based one whether they wanted to cheer me on or not. I should not have had any doubt that they would want to be there. They were so excited and full of questions: any one else going to race? (just me and ChiMax) how long will it take you? what is your fastest time? (50 minutes) do you need water refill stations? (I carry a bottle with me) who is going to win - you or ChiMax? (ChiMax. He'll be pulling me to the end).

So, it has been decided. Saturday, Nov 10th is 5K day. I plotted out my course and have started thinking about where my sets will hit. Because of a downed tree and power line on one of the streets I usually run, I have cut it out and added the one I normally avoid. I will have to take that street and the culdesac twice to get my 3.10 miles. My start is at the next intersection up and the end is just passed the boys' bus stop. I think it may take up to 8 sets. Maybe even 9. I hope I have it in me :p

I am curious how long it will take me. My 50 minute time was based on walking for 20 of them. I haven't done a full 3 miles since running for 3 min intervals because I wanted to be done sooner. I can feel my desire to keep this up waning :P

It snowed Tues night so the weather has had me a little concerned, but thankfully it has been warming up to the 50s during the day so the snow is melting. It does freeze at night and with all the water on the ground there is potential for ice in the morning. I think it will work out well for tomorrow though.

One to go!

Today's training: 2 min walk/3 min run/6 sets

After Monday's glorious beginning, today was hard starting out. I was feeling the minute and a half tire again but the sets went relatively quickly. I did set 4 up W instead of skipping it like I normally do because I could see another dog walker up the street. Yesterday I came across the same one during one of my final sets and the effort of pulling ChiMax away totally drained my energy so I didn't want a repeat of that. W is a long straight street. It took the entire 3 minutes to get to the end of it. I cut off the culdesac at the end of the neighborhood that I usually do and headed back home. I was pleasantly surprised to see that I was only out for 40 minutes but the track was only 2.46 miles. I will have to do F Friday to get my entire 5K.

I feel kind of silly for wanting this, but I kind of wish I was participating in a real 5K with my family there to cheer me on and take a pic as I cross the finish line. I thought about saving my run for Saturday so Matthew could be around with the boys to do just that but I also really like not having people watch me run and make a big deal about it. Got to get over my pride one way or the other I guess. But I must say that accomplishing this goal is huge for me and worth celebrating and memorializing on some level. I may just take a pic of myself and call it good :)

There is a nor'easter making its way up the coast and should arrive here this afternoon bringing rain and probably snow. Temps are supposed to get down in the low 30s. It was pretty nippy when I started out this morning but once the blood got flowing even my hands warmed up. The weather may play a huge factor in a Friday vs Saturday run. Now that Matthew has figured out a way to get the treadmill to work, I am liking the idea of using it all winter. The big complication for that is my running companion. He needs the exercise and opportunity to burn off all that energy he has. He is a powerful dog with a lot of energy to burn :p I really like the convenience and comfort of the treadmill. Decisions, decisions.

On another side - but relevant - note, my right knee started bothering me really bad last week especially when I would kneel on it for prayer. So much pain it made me nauseous. One night I was trying to sleep and just laying still with it straight out was uncomfortable. I was concerned that it would effect my running this week but so far it has held up. I tried wearing my knee brace Monday for my run but it was uncomfortable and not stable on the knee anyway, so I took it off. This morning my other knee was kind of bothering me too. I am wondering if it is the cold weather haunting my 9 yr old car accident injuries. If that is the case, besides being cold it is going to be a long painful winter :p

P.P.S. Yesterday I went to Goodwill to find some more jeans to wear because I have been wearing my one pair over and over. (Never thought I would be one of those people. No wonder dogs follow me ;) Anyway...) I am definitely still a size 16. My calves are getting shapely and my thighs are slowly thinning, but my middle is wear all the comfort food is. Until I start targeting my abs I won't really be making good progress down. I ended up with two pairs for $5. Not shabby for jeans I hope to not wear in another year.

To Stop is to Fall

Back in business. Oh how excited Chi Max was when he saw my running clothes!! I wasn't sure how my body would react to a week of vacation, but I was pleasantly surprised to discover it mostly did it good.

Today's routine: 3 min walk/3 min run/6 sets

The first run went amazingly well. I kind of figured for 3 minutes I should be at the end of the street, so I didn't look at the clock until I was close. I didn't feel a 1 1/2 min tire nor a 2 1/2 min tired. I was surprised when I looked at the timer and discovered I was already close to the 3 minutes. The second set went about as well though not as good. By the third set I could feel it a little more. The walk before the 3rd run I accidently went 15 seconds over, but as soon as I noticed it I started the run. Between 4 & 5 I got distracted counting my blessings and ended up adding an extra minute to my walk but the way I felt at the end, it probably did me good. Run 6 was a bear. I wanted to quit so bad at the 1 1/2 min mark, but I told myself it is just another minute and a half. You can do this. To the end of the street. Come on. Next time I looked at the clock it was 2 1/2. 30 seconds. I almost made it to 'the tree' but when I glanced at the clock I was at 3 minutes so I started walking. The movement from running (extremely slow jog) to walking almost made my knees buckle from under me. But, I made it!!

One of the sets had me go all the way around CC and to the next street. I thought about how that had been my goal before I started this training program - to eventually be able to run the whole thing, but to start with running continuously the straight part of the paths. It is exciting to think that I am almost there!! Well, I kind of am there depending on how my sets fall.  I am grateful I decided to take this goal seriously because I am actually achieving it because of the 5K and at a much faster rate than I imagined possible.

A concern of mine has been what to do when winter hits. Well, for me, this is winter. Oh I dread the 'real' winter. But it is definitely cold. From experience though, I know that once I start running I get hot. Today I dressed in a long sleeve shirt, short sleeve shirt, and a light knit jacket with a hood.     I debated whether or not to wear gloves because I was concerned at my ability to hit the buttons on my phone. I couldn't find some like I was wanting so I decided to just go without. When I got out the door and started walking I was afraid I'd made the wrong choice. But I pulled my long sleeves out and covered my fists until I walked long enough to start my sets. Sure enough, by the end of set 2 I was warm and ready to take my jacket off. I think I may be ok doing winter and continuing my training. But if not, Matthew figured out how to rig up the treadmill without it overloading the breaker. YAY!!!! I could really use some help with speed so the treadmill will be just the ticket :)

Yesterday Matthew brought up running a marathon next year. TWENTY SIX MILES?!?! I don't think so. I told him, let me get through this 5K first. He started looking at race opportunities for his birthday - 4 weeks away. I thought about it some more and realized I had been thinking about continuing my training and by Dec 1 I might be able to actually RUN the 5K with no walking. He is hoping that this goal would also motivate him to keep up his PT despite passing the test. I decided that maybe I could do a marathon by next year if I don't give up my training. I never thought this would be in my sights. Ever. I haven't made it an official goal yet, but I think it might actually be a possibility.

By the way, another storm is scheduled to hit on Wed. A nor'easter they call it. We will see if I can actually do the 5K this week :p