Christina and I woke up bright and early yesterday, poked our heads outside, and rethought our plans for the day. The weather was cold… and dreary. The forecast called for a good bit of snow and some slush throughout the day. But we pushed on. We hopped into our gear and into the car. Then we…
We ran out first 5K! And I did better than I expected. Didn’t win or anything, but I certainly didn’t come in last.
I signed Roy and I up for the Amnesty International Couples 5K. Roy promised me he would run with me, though I told him he didn’t need to, he was more than welcome to go on ahead, as they add the two times together in the end for an ‘official time.’
But he said it was a COUPLES race, so we would stay together.
Boy, it was cold! But it was packed. Lots of people all different shapes and sizes came out to support a good cause and to have some fun. There were a few runners that were obviously in a different class than most of the pack, but they did their thing, and we did ours.
It was easy to get caught up in the beginning. You want to keep up, and for the first 1/2 mile I did. But the cold got to me. I was sure we had been outside enough for our lungs to adjust, but after about 3/4 of a mile my lungs were burning, and I was wheezing. I slowed to a walk, and gave myself about 25 meters to get my breathing under control.
It reminded me of swimming. I used to hate swimming the mile in a meet, it was such a long race, and it was all about pacing and your breathing. I went right back to that place and got my breathing under control, and started to jog again. And for the rest of the race, that is how I went. I ran more than I walked this time, and for that I am really proud of myself. Roy stuck right there with me. He knows I don’t want a cheerleader running next to me, but he did just enough to keep me going. If I needed to walk, he slowed down with me.
That last mile was rough. It was on a trail, which I am not used to running, and me being the wuss I am, running downhill on gravel makes me nervous. I wiped out on something like that before, and it doesn’t feel good on the hands! But we kept going, and that last hill was a doozy! My legs were burning, and I tried my best to push as hard as I could.
In the end, I finished with a time of 37:55. Roy was right in front of me. It wasn’t fast, and I know I slowed Roy down a bit, but I had FUN! It was a first for us, and I am so proud that we did it!
My goal originally was under 45 minutes. Roy said I should shoot for under 40, I said ok, but secretly I would have been happy with under 45. And when we turned that last corner, and I saw the big clock, I couldn’t believe it!
37:35…
37:36…
37:37….
It was fitting… as we were finishing up the race Nicki Minaj’s Moment 4 Life was playing on my iPod. I didn’t win, and it was probably a rather slow time, but I did it! Our first 5K…
This 37 year old mom of 5 had her little “Moment 4 Life” today… and it feels pretty damn great!
Aside from the title of “Most Awesomest Mom in the World!” (I will post pictures of myself in my tiara and sash as soon as one of my boys takes the hint and gets them for me.) Roy and I signed up for our first 5k today!
February 11 - only 37 short days away.
Looking forward to it… can’t wait to get my free t-shirt! (It’s not really free.)
Just finished a two mile run/walk… and I feel great. I think I’m gonna be ready for my 5K Mud Run in May.
And I did all of this outside in short sleeves. Yep it was 70 degrees in our neck of the woods.
If I jog by myself, I don’t feel like I need to prove anything. And to be clear, I don’t need to prove anything to Roy either. I just like the praise and encouragement when I do well.
Though a part of me does feel bad. I know he really adjusts his pace, so that I can jog near him. But he does so happily.
Did a little over a mile today. Jogged a mile straight, did some recovery walking, and then ran as fast as I could up a steep hill near our house.
My goal was a 5k, but who knows… maybe one day a 10k will be on the books!
There is a beautiful park right near my house with a flat one mile loop.
So, today I walked over there and used that as my warm up. As soon as I got to the park, I stepped on the ‘track’ and started jogging.
I just kept thinking:
“One foot in front of the other…one foot in front of the other…you can do this.”
And before I knew it, I had run a whole mile! I ran it…not walked really fast, but I ran. I forgot my phone and my stop watch, so I can’t be sure…but I am guessing…maybe 10 minute mile.
Again, not great…but I am so happy! I don’t like running, but I know it is a great way to burn calories, relieve stress and I really want to run a 5K. NOT walk it, but run it….and I feel like I am really on my way!
Soo… I have mentioned my love of magazines numerous times, and that includes fitness/health magazines. I was reading one of the many magazines in my stockpile the other day and came across an article called:
YOU can run a 5k/10k or Half Marathon!
I figure I’ll start small and try for a 5k in a time that isn’t embarrassing. So my training schedule is as follows…
This Week (and possibly next week until I can run a full mile without stopping at a decent pace):
-Monday - Walk 1 mile to warm up, run 1/2 mile without stopping then walk 4 minutes (x3), walk 1 mile to cool down.
-Tuesday - cross training and/or strength training, 30-60 minutes
-Wednesday - rest (YEAH!)
-Thursday - same as Monday
-Friday - see Tuesday
-Saturday - 1 1/2 mile run/jog/walk
Sunday - rest
Monday went ok. Took me almost an hour to finish that workout, but I did it as prescribed!
Tuesday was nice. I really enjoy strength training, and I did 25 minutes on the elliptical.
I won’t lie though… I was looking forward to today and a little break. But keeping my calories under control is something I need to pay attention to and work out.
Feeling good and I am looking forward to my first race… whenever that might be.
Well, today I was on my own. I was worried that I might not push myself as hard without Roy next to me, but I was determined to finish the 5k loop on the treadmill no matter what.
Since I wasn’t going to lift today, Roy decided not to come to the gym with me.
I got to the gym and walked for five minutes at 3.2 MPH. I then ran (or jogged faster) at 5.3 MPH for about 3 minutes. I walked at 3.7 for a bit, than jogged a bit more. I just tried to jog as long as I possibly could each time I sped up.
I ended up doing the 3.1 miles in just over 43 minutes. Not too bad, as I figured with Roy not next to me, I might not push myself, but I did ok.
I’m sweating like a pig right now, but I feel great.
I ran my first 5k!
I didn’t really, I just completed one on the treadmill. Usually, I give myself 40 minutes and that’s it. I want to complete one in LESS than 40 minutes, this past Thursday I did 2.85 miles in 40 minutes
Roy was with me, and he is a much more accomplished runner than I am. He was rather easily able to finish the 5k in less than 40 minutes, BUT having him next to me made me run just a little further than my usual 2 minutes running 3 minutes walking fast. I even ran a little faster than my usual 5.2 miles per hour.
I was able to finish the 5k (3.1 miles) in about 42.45 minutes. Very proud of myself! It isn’t fast, but it’s a start!
Ok, I don’t know if you could call it training. I’m doing it on my own (though Roy says he will run with me… we’ll see!), and all I do is try to get to the gym at least three days a week.
While I am at the gym, I give myself 40 minutes, RIGHT NOW. I am hoping once I can do that, I can significantly lower my time. Anyways, I am giving myself 40 minutes to see how much of a 5k (3.1 miles) I can get done.
The first time I did it I did about 2.53 miles. I alternated between jogging and walking at a strong pace. I jogged at about 5.0 miles per hour, and then I walked at 3.8. NOT fast by any means, but I am not a runner, so the fact that I was able to complete my little ‘regimen’ made me SO happy!
My regimen: I start out walking at 3.5 mph for five minutes. Then I jog at 5.0 mph for two minutes, walk at 3.8 for three minutes, etc., etc. until my 40 minutes is up.
Yesterday I was able to jog at 5.2 mph for two minutes and walk at 3.8 mph, so I was able to do 2.63 miles in 40 minutes. I’m getting there.
My goal is to do a 5k. I’m not looking to run marathons or win any races here. I just want to say “I DID IT!”
I want to look in the mirror and say, “This almost 40 year old mother of five did it!”
