Week 8.....5k PR!

Week 8 started slow because I was in Michigan for work. I only hit the dreadmill once, and that was only for 15 minutes...:( How do people get in their training runs on work trips??? I can never find the time! I was so exhausted, I could bearly stay upright, let along run. Once I got home I started to think it was the lack of running that was making me so tired! That and the pollen that has taken up residence in my upper respiratory system!

I finally did get in a 6 mile run on Friday - it was slow, but I made it.

Sunday, I ran the Red Hook/Runners Alley 5k. It was the one year anniversary of my first ever 5k! I can't believe it has been a year!

The race start was warm, but there was no humidity, which was the biggest change from last year. Over 2000 runners lined up at the startline at 11 am and the gun when off! It took me nearly a minute to cross the startline from when I heard the gun - thank goodness they use timing chips in this race!

I took off at a fast pace without a water bottle or ipod/nike +. I was FREE of all accessories! Actually, at mile 1, I was wishing for my water bottle - my mouth was so DRY! I never really missed the ipod because the pack never seemed to dissipate so I was distracted by all the other runners.

At the half way point I grabbed some water and managed to choke on it! I'm so used to running with my own water, I'm not used to drinking out of a cup! I had to walk for a few seconds to actually get a full drink - the rest went over my head!

The last mile was a bit rough. The honeysuckle, lilac, and tree pollen was causing my allergies to go wild and I couldn't get a full breath. Then I rounded the corner to the finish line and I heard someone yell "finish strong!" Something clicked in my head and I started to push it the last 100 yards. I actually had a slight kick in my stride! I crossed the finish line with a gun time of 33:55. My watch said 33:01, a PR! As I walked through the finish coral, a wave of nausea came over me and I nearly lost my breakfast all over a nice volunteer! I spotted Matt on the sideline and motioned to him to give me his water. I took a sip and bent over to untie my timing chip and nearly puked on my shoes....I have felt bad after a race, but never like I was going to puke! I did manage to get my chip off without puking and walked out of the coral. As soon as I got out of the crowd, I felt better. 33:03 was my official chip time - just 3 seconds faster than my October 5k PR. Even better than a PR, I was 3:20 faster this year! I'm making some improvement!

L and her husband ran as well - L got a rockin' PR! She finished almost 45 seconds a head of me! Her husband paced her so she could keep a sub-10:30 pace. That's what I need - a pacer! Actually, I don't think I could have gone any faster if I tried! All in all, a great 5k!

So, here are the Weeks totals:
M - N/A
T - N/A
W - 1.25 miles
Th - N/A
Fr - 6 miles
Sa - N/A
Su - 5k PR!
Total Run - 10.35 miles (should have been 16)

Should be back on my normal running schedule this coming week....3 weeks til the 10k!

Week 6 and 7....watching Big Lake

If you've been following my twitterings and the nike+ widget thingy, you can see that I have been good about running the last 2 weeks. However, I HAVE NOT BEEN GOOD ABOUT BLOGGING!

Here's what I've been up to!

Week 6:
Runs went well in week 6. I decided to slow down a bit to nurse my tender left quad. I doesn't exactly hurt, but it's sore to the touch and feels weak when I run. It's almost like it's permanently fatigued (aka the peg leg syndrome). I hope the slower pace will help!

I finished the week at the Big Lake Half Marathon, where I watched my running buddy L and her husband run their first half marathon!! I was kinda sad I couldn't run, but it was fun to watch the race on a bike (although my bum didn't like it!) They both did a fantastic job! I'm so proud!


My runs looked like this:
M - off
T - 3.5 miles
W - 2.5 miles
Th - 4.5 miles
Fr - off
Sat - Bike 15 miles
Sun - Nursed my sore bum from biking :(
TOTAL RUN - 10.5!

Week 7:
Week 7 of the Market Sq 10k training was pretty boring! My left quad started feeling better towards the end of the week, but I'm still not breaking any speed records here! I ran 3 times and biked once. Friday May 16th was National Bike to Work Day, so I left the bike at home a biked the 10 miles into work. It actually was pretty fun once my body woke up!! I think biking might be helping that sore quad!! Maybe all that talk about cross training is true!

I finished up the week with a Friday night Red Sox game that ended up rained out :( The Saturday night make up game went into the wee hours of Sunday morning, so I didn't get to my weekend run until 4pm Sunday - but I did do it!

Now for the totals:
M - off
T - 3.5 miles
W - off
TH - 5 miles
Fr - Bike to Work Day! 10 mile bike (followed by a Red Sox Rain Out :( )
Sat - Red Sox v Milwaukee Red Six WIN 7-6!!
Sun - 4 miles
TOTAL RUN - 12.5 miles

I'm off the Michigan this week, so I won't be able to blog again until Thursday....hope I can get at least one training run while I'm away!

Week 5 in Review

With the 5k race, I forgot to post a 10k training week 5 review. It wasn't a bad week. However, I had the great idea of NOT running two days in a row as written in the training schedule. So my week went like this:
M - rest
Tu - 3 miles in the DRIVING RAIN!
W - Leg workout/stretching
Th - 4 miles (hills!)
Fr - rest
Sa - 5k Race
Su - Rest

I don't think skipping my Wednesday run really helped. I still felt tired on my Thursday and Saturday run. Maybe it's a lack of sleep....maybe it's too little protein....i don't know! So next week I'll go back to the schedule as printed, tu, wed, th, and sa.....we'll see if I can do it!

Hey! Half way to the 10k!

First 5k of 2008!

Saturday was the Children's museum 5k, my first race of 2008 - official time 34:47.

I have mixed feelings about it. It was my second fastest 5k ever, which means I haven't lost much from my 3 month hiatus from running. That's good!! However, I got passed by almost EVERYONE I know! I was passed by all my friends from my current training group, my buddies from last years half marathon, L and her husband, even the nun and the kids from st. charles home! It was kinda demoralizing! My stomach was feeling funky and my legs were feeling heavy.

So, although I am faster than I was LAST may, I'm still a slowpoke....i guess i need to just keep running!