Before the Race - Me, Steve and Sarah
This Sunday I reached another one of my running goals! I ran a 10k!! WOOHOO!!! After I finished running a few 5k's I decided it was time to try and step up the mileage. A friend and I were discussing the possibilities for running a 10k and we decided to go for it. I used the One Hour Runner plan to prepare for the race, however, this race didn't really go as well as I had hoped. I ran 6 miles the week before the race, so I thought I was good to go and I took a few days off before race day. On Saturday I started to not feel so great in the evening, but I thought that just relaxing and going to bed early would help me on Sunday. I woke up Sunday morning with a 100.3 temperature and feeling like death. (If figures that I didn't get sick ALL school year, and then end up with some cold/fever thing the first week of summer!) I managed to eat some breakfast and drink some water, but I didn't want to over do it before the race. I was hoping that once I got moving I'd feel better. I was really debating if I still wanted to run or not, but I thought about all of the time I spent training, the money that I already paid, and the friends I had running with me and decided to still go for it. I told myself that if I start feeling really bad I'll just walk. As the race time approached I was feeling ok, so I just went for it. Steve, Sarah and Janene were there to run with me and Brooke, my Mom, and Dad came to cheer us on. I HAD to run with all of these people here to support me. :) At the start Steve and Sarah were quite a bit faster than me, but I found out that Janene (my new friend from camp) and I pretty much run at the same pace. We were able to run together and we talked during most of the race. It was nice having someone to talk to (and actually being able to talk) while running. I would say the race went well until about Mile 4 when it started to get quite hilly. Needless to say, we all finished and I only walked through the water stations. That was my ultimate goal...run the whole time and just finish. I finished with a time of 1:10:08 and was exhausted but happy to have reached this goal. Not too long after finishing I started to feel rather crappy again and felt as if I may pass out. Luckily with lots of water and an oatmeal bar from mom I felt better rather quickly. :)
**What I learned from this experience**
-Running with a fever is not fun...not sure I'll do that again
-Now that I'm running more miles I need to pay more attention to what I eat before/during the race
-I still have a lot to learn about running
Now I'm debating signing up for the Columbus Better Health Half Marathon in October...
PROS - It's a half marathon! How awesome would it be to say that I ran that far!
- As Meghann said, I'd be able to get one of those sweet 13.1 stickers for my Soul!
- I'd reach another one of my goals
- If I don't run one in October I'd have to probably wait until the Spring
- I'd be able to lose some more weight... always a plus
CONS - I'd have to train and add a lot of miles during the hot summer months
- It's the day after a wedding I'm supposed to go to
- There's a lot going on this summer...I hope I can commit to the training
The jury is still out...I'll keep you all posted on what I decide. I'm sure you all are waiting with bated breath. HAHA
Fred and I before the 5k in Indy! It was WAY too early...
As I continue on my journey of training for a 10k I have hit a few milestones this week.
*I officially committed to actually training for the 10k and finished my first long run of 40 minutes
*I have lost a total of 60.4 lbs as of Monday! :) Only 12.6 more to go to reach my initial goal! (We'll see if I decide to go any further)
Achieving these goals has really made me realize that I am capable of doing anything. I have started to realize how I have so much more confidence in myself in almost every aspect of my life. I feel like I am more social, a better teacher, and much more active. It's weird how eating better and working out can cause such great changes...WHO KNEW!
This week I also braved some new territory on my long run. I have decided that I now hate running on a treadmill and I was getting sick of the loop I was running at the park, so I ventured out to a neighborhood by my apt. In order to get to this different neighborhood I had to spend quite a bit of time on a busy street, which was definitely new for me...dodging cars, no sidewalks, mud puddles...it was definitely different, but a welcome change from the mundane trail I had before. Now I wonder, where should I run next?
On a sad note...I did see a dead turtle on my run on Sunday. :( For those of you that didn't know turtles are my all-time favorite animal and it made me a little sad to see him there...belly up, not moving by the side of the road. Since I was running and didn't really have anything else to think about I just kept running scenarios through my head as to how he got there and how he died. (Was he hit by a car? Did he just wander too far from his pond? Was he someones pet?)
This week my long run will be 45 minutes. I'm slightly freaking out, because this is about where I gave up the last time I was trying to train for a 10k. I am not going to be able to give up this time though, because the race is in only about 3 1/2 weeks. EEK!
P.S. 10 days of school left!
I told Fred to show me his game face...and this is what I got. We'll work on this! :)
Ok...so here I am. I'm actually starting this blog in the middle of my journey to lose weight and at the beginning of my journey to becoming a runner. I currently have lost 58lbs in about 7 months and I have finished 2 5ks. It is currently my goal to lose about 15 more pounds and to increase my mileage and eventually one day run a marathon.
Just this week I was able to run in a 5k with my brother. This was a very special event for me. I was happy to have some bonding time with him and we were able to encourage each other as we trained for this race. I was so proud of him for finishing the race and I only hope he continues to run.
I also turned 27 this past weekend and have started to realize I'm getting dangerously close to the big 3-0. I officially am making it my goal to run my marathon by the time I'm 30. During my 26th year of life I started my journey to get in shape and I hope that 27 is one of the best years to date.
So this is me..this is my journey. No guarantee that it will be anything too profound, but I hope to be able to document my journey and experiences along the way.
Happy Running :)
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