The Big Race

Apr 08, 2011

Friday evening was my first 5K race (in a long, long, time).  It was breezy and hot (78 degrees).  It was all uphill.  It was heart pounding, sweaty and fun.  There was beer at the end (I took 2 sips and handed the rest to my DH).  

I am very proud of myself, I met my goal.  I finished in under 40 minutes (just).  That gives me a 12:24 minute mile pace, a PR (personal record) as I hadn't done any of my training runs that fast.  I wasn't last. I was 9th out of 13 in my age group.  Not bad for a formerly morbidly obese person (I'm still in the obese range, closing in on overweight).

My new goal is a 12 minute mile and I'm already signed up for my next race, at Jekyll Island GA in May.  My DH is doing the sprint triathlon at the beach, so I'm going to run (then swim for pleasure, skip the bike thank you).  I'm aiming for a race every month.  Now I need to work up a new training program to increase my time and distance.  I'm hoping by summer's end to work up to a 10K.  

My DIL also ran, but she's faster and I didn't see her after the start.  She was cheering me on at the end!  So was DH, who actually finished 3rd in his age group.  He was so pumped at an 8:32 pace.  Of course the guy who won the age group finished with a 7 minute mile pace.  

I started walking on the treadmill the day I got home from surgery (I had been walking and bit of jogging before surgery).  I kept upping the pace and distance on the treadmill, then 8 weeks before the race I started a couch to 5 K training program (that I got off Runkeeper.com).  That was in February.  I did most of my runs outside at that  point, because the treadmill just isn't the same as street running.  The training was hard, I only skipped one session, on a cold rainy day in WI when I was up there.  The training started off at a 1.5 mile walk/run, then progressed gradually to a 3 mile run.  It varied with intervals (going fast for a minute, then slow for a minute) and long runs (50 minute runs rather than a specific distance).  Now I need to find a 10K program and follow it.  

Hey, if a 51 year old fat lady (I can't sing so I run) can do this, anyone can.

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