Monday, October 18, 2010

Finding a groove

I think it has helped me mentally with running since I officially registered for my big race next June. It has made me refocuse my efforts on improving, even if I'm not logging long distances very often.

Last Friday, I ran a 5k- just to make sure I could still do the distance- and though it was much slower than I would have liked (42ish mins), I did it and felt good after. Today- I ran 1.89 miles in 21:30, a roughly 11:23mm pace. I'm very pleased with that. I would have run farther but I was in a slight time crunch and that's all I had time for. Not to mention the rain that I barely missed. I don't mind running in rain, but this was a COLD rain - we went from about 65 degrees to 46 by the time the rain ended.

I have a 5k race coming up on November 6. I'm looking forward to doing a race again. This will be my 6th this year (I feel like I'm forgetting one, but it's not coming to mind. . .)

4 comments:

  1. Emily, as I look back when I first started running, about 3 1/2 years ago, one of the early mistakes I made was thinking I could improve dramatically, and quickly with extra hard training and work. It didn't really happen for me. After my 3rd or 4th 5K, when I nearly passed out, and then nearly puked at the finish line, I realized I didn't need to push myself quite so hard. Maybe that makes me a wimp, but I think it has enabled me to stick with it for the long haul and enjoy the ride. So for me, I continue to try and improve, and even run longer, but I know improved times will come in multiple seconds, not minutes. And I know also, comparing my times to others will usually depress me, so I try as best I can to compete against myself. Again, maybe that's wimpy...but it keeps me enthused about hitting the road each week, and I think that's much more important than winning medals. So above all, I hope you continue to enjoy the running, for the running! Have you checked out Dailymile.com? It's a neat social media for runners/bikers/athletes. You can post your runs, keep a log, and get encouragement from all talents and levels of runners.

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  3. Tim- thanks for stopping by and commenting. I definitely hear your point- and I don't typically push super hard- my training schedule (and pace) is very realistic for me. I train with either a GPS watch or my Nike+ to track my runs and watch my pace improvements. If you have a chance- please read my "Why I Run" post- it's what keeps me coming back to running.

    As I added in strength training this summer, my body naturally wants to go faster, but I'm in the process of catching my lungs up to that pace -so while my legs can comfortably run/maintain a sub-10mm, my lungs are more comfortable around 11:30-12mm pace.

    I love running- and while I don't have the desire to be a marathoner at the moment, not even a half-marathoner. . .but I love the 5k distance because it allows me to work on pace and habit more than anything. Plus, I have my Ragnar Relays to feed my "extreme athlete" inside. :)
    sorry for the really long reply- I really appreciate your comment!

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  4. I think it's awesome how many races you're doing! We have one on Halloween and it'll just be my 3rd this year. But I do have a 4th race planned for 12/5, and that's the biggie (half marathon...yikes.)

    I think it's great that you don't push yourself too hard. I'm actually transitioning into training LESS because my body was not handling all the miles well. I took a run off this week, and that was a very good thing. Today I was able to make up a bit of the mileage (but not all of it) with a longer run, and I felt great.

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