Happy New Year! Happy New PR!

Just did the New Year 5K and you guessed it... I broke my old record! uh, by almost 3 minutes. Rock N Roll!

I was aiming for 32 minutes and squeezed in just under at 31:38. I had to go across 3 wooden foot bridges that had some ice on them so that slowed me down. The worse part was, after I crossed said bridges, my shoes were a little slippery so I was slowed down for even longer. The course was a little hilly which I'm not used to, and there was one monster hill near the end that just about killed me!

I used my Garmin and it really helped. I was able to keep an eye on my pace so I knew when I needed to pick up the pace and also when I was just going way too fast. Also, it told me when I was getting close to the finish and needed to really put it into overdrive. bbrrrrr... it was a chilly 29 this morning, but fortunately little wind which helped.

What a way to finish the year! I shaved 8 minutes off my 5K time in 2007. How awesome is that? At some point, my improvements will slow down. I was thinking about setting a goal for a sub-30 5K in 2008, but after today's race I think I'll go with a sub-28 minute 5K goal. There is no question in my mind that I'll break 30 minutes in early 2008, so the 28 minute goal should be more of a challenge for me.

Running into the New Year...

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

I am so excited that I got this for Christmas.

It's a Garmin Forerunner 305 which will track my time, distance, pace, and heartrate. Very, very cool. I went out and ran with it so I could play with my new toy. Up until now, I really hadn't been timing my runs and my pedometer was acting erratic, so this is going to be awesome. The interesting thing this morning is that I found out that my pace has improved significantly, and I didn't even realize it. Well, I had suspected that I was running faster, but now I have proof!! My average pace was 10:38 (over 3.75 miles) and I thought I was running more of a 11 or 11:30 mile so I am pretty excited. I looked at it when I passed the 3.1 mile mark this morning and I was right at 33 minutes! Yippee! I am really hoping for a time of 32 minutes at the 5K this Saturday, and I think I might pull it off. (My old PR is 34:29 for this distance). Eventually, my goal is to get under 30 minutes.

New Shoes

So like I said yesterday, I found out I was running in the wrong shoes. It's kind of a long story, but suffice it to say that I now I have what I think are the right shoes for me. I only ran 2.7 miles today because I didn't want to overdo in the new shoes. Also, I was running outside and I haven't done that in over a week because of all the snow we had.

My feet had been hurting in all kinds of weird places, so I'm glad I figured out what was going on. Of course, I am always worried about my ankle acting up again, but the big concern right now is my right shin. Apparently this is shin splints but not what I have experienced in the past that has felt like shin splints. I have backed off on the distance a little this week and it seems to be helping. So hopefully, that along with the right shoes will get me back on track.

The timing on this has been ironic too because first of all, I'm not in the half marathon training mode yet, so that's good. Second, this week was so busythat I barely had time to breathe, let alone work out. But this week made me remember what it's like at work during the summer. So, somehow I gotta figure out how to keep up with my training schedule and diet when things get so busy. This is really tough. I know it sounds like an excuse, but there are days when I work from 7 am to 8 or 9 pm and then go right to bed when I get home. Plus I'm so exhausted by the time I get home that all I can do is drag my butt into bed. And running in the morning just ain't happening! I'm not a morning person. Well, I got a few months to figure it out but it is difficult. And then it becomes easier to say, well, let's just eat out tonight because it's easy & quick. But these are all the old habits that created the old body I had. So somehow, someway, someday, I have to (and want to) stick with the new habits even when life gets crazy.

Okay, now I am way off the topic of shoes!

TGIF

What a week! ugh, I'm exhausted. Well, here's the short version.

1. Work has been bonkers off the wall crazy busy.
2. Found out that I've been running in the wrong kind of shoes.
3. Found out that my calves are too tight so I've started stretching them 3 times a day.
4. Ate "off the diet" for dinner about every night this week.
5. Did not stick to my training plan for the week.

So basically, I'm tired, fat, & bloated. Happy holidays. I just want to get through the next 2 weeks and then get back to some kind of normalcy.

New Milestone

6 miles on the treadmill!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We were dumped on with ice, then snow last night so running outside is out of the question. But pretty excited about the new distance reached today.

Let it snow, let it snow...

No, wait! It needs to stop snowing! I'm doing my long run tomorrow and it looks like I'm resigned to the treadmill again. I think we're supposed to get 17 inches or something crazy like that.

Well just a couple more weeks until the next 5K - Run to the New Year. Should be a fun one. A little hilly, but a nice run through trees and whatnot in the park. Then after that, it's time to get SERIOUS about training for the half marathon. I was looking at the training plan again this morning, and I'm more confident than ever that this is totally doable! Anyway, i gotta tweek it a little and then I will post the entire 12 week training plan here. Right now my 2 short runs each week are 3 milers and they seem almost too easy anymore. I am completely amazed the strides I've made in the last couple of months. And I still have 4 months to get ready for the half marathon. (i will be SO ready!) My biggest challenge the next 2 months will be the weather. As long as we don't get ice, snow, or strong winds then I'll be out there. But it's going to get chilly.

Knee Pain, etc.

Just when my ankle was feeling better... starting to get some pain on the outside of my knees. Not sure if it's just the recent increase in mileage or what?? It hurts more when I'm not running - like just sitting around or walking around the house. So I guess I'll just keep an eye on it.

I feel like I'm getting back into the swing of things after being sick last week. I still have some sinus congestion that refuses to go away which is just kinda annoying. Just doing 3 miles today probably on the treadmill (looks like rain). But I'm a little concerned about the long run on Sunday, hoping my knees will hold up. oh, and I haven't even mentioned the shin splints on my right leg that have also been plaguing me!

Do I have the right shoes??

Sick Leave

Well, I had to take a sick leave this week. I was a little congested last Sunday but ran my 5 miles anyway. Then started feeling sick Sunday afternoon and was sick all week. I about went out of my mind batty just sittin' around all week! But I finally, finally ran last night - 3 miles on the treadmill. Boy, it sure felt good! Anyway, I think I'm on the mend, and hopefully I'll be able to get in a long run again tomorrow. I'm not sure if I'll be able to run outside because I think we're supposed to get freezing rain tonight and then more precipitation again tomorrow. And Monday. And Tuesday. So I may be stuck on the treadmill for awhile.

Another 5 miler!

A little warmer today, low 50's and light sprinkles. Ran my second ever (woo hoo) 5 mile run this morning. Felt good, about like the last time. Was able to run the whole thing w/o any stopping again. Amazing!

I was debating whether to ever run at all today. The side of my knee has been a little funky since Friday night after my 3 mile run, plus I am all stuffed up. But I went for it, fortunately, and it cleared the sinuses a little.

The best part is, my 5 mile long run is done for this week!!