Live Oak Lion's Club 5K

I ran my first 5k (3.1 miles) today. When I started running about two months ago, I was hoping to just finish a 5k under thirty minutes. As I continued to run, I realized that I would reach that goal. Two weeks ago, a set a new goal of 27:30. I'm happy to announce that I finished the race in 27:09. That's a personal best for me for the 5k. I averaged about 8:44 over the 3 mile run. I finished fourth in the 25-29 Age group. I missed a trophy by only a minute. Rudy finished about 30 seconds behind me. He ran very well. He set the pace for just about the entire race. I big hill in the last half mile did him in. Overall, I think we're both happy with how we ran.

4 Miles, No Problem

My last two runs have both been four mile runs. I ran four and a quarter miles in 44 minutes on three days rest and then four miles in forty minutes, again on 3 days rest. My four mile runs have been at a slower pace since the runs are a little longer than what I have been running. Eventually, I hope to be running four miles at the same pace as my two and three mile runs.

My first 5k race is coming up next Saturday. I'm really excited. I'm hoping to finish somewhere around 27:30. I've only got three runs left before the 5k. I'm going to do some speed work tonight. I'm running a 5k at race pace on Sunday and then a four mile cruise on Wednesday. I've done my best running on two days rest so my plan is to rest on Thursday and Friday before the big race on Saturday.

Oh, I failed to mention that I got a pair of running shoes. Asics Kayano 12s. I love them! I ran four miles yesterday and my shins felt great right after the run. I did get a little blister but I think that's only my foot not used to the new shoe. I'm looking forward to putting a lot of miles on these shoes. Four miles and counting...

New Milestone...

I wasn't sure if I was going to run tonight.I decided to after a day of not so great eating. All week I had been thinking about running four miles tonight. When I first started running, I was only planning on a 5k, that's 3.13 miles. I felt good after the first kilometer and by the half way point, I knew that I might have a chance at running four miles. I finished the 5k in a personal best of 28'39''. Considering that my goal was to finish next months 5k race in under thirty minutes, I was pleased with that time. I decided to keep on running. I completed 4.18 miles and averaged 9'17''/mile.

I've shaved almost a minute off my average pace since I began running and my legs felt good after tonight's run. I've got ice on them now and I suspect I'll feel good in the morning. Tomorrow's a weight lifting day and I'll run Tuesday on one day's rest to see how my legs respond.

My race is August 4th by the way in case anyone was wondering.

Feeling Good

I ran today on only one day of rest and I'm happy to say that I feel ok. I don't feel great but it's two hours after the run and I'm not feeling much pain in my knee or shins. I did feel some discomfort right after the run in my knee but it was gone within an hour or so.

Running is definitely getting more exciting for me. Tonight I ran with Rudy at Woodlawn Park. It's a 1.25 mile track around a lake. Rudy has been improving on his endurance and was pretty excited to finish two laps without stopping. So excited that he started me off at a pretty fast pace. To give you an idea of how fast, we averaged ten minute miles our first two weeks of running and averaged 9:40/mile over the last two weeks. My last two runs have averaged about 9:26/mile and we finished the first mile tonight in 8:50! That's fast for us! I was a little nervous about the pace because I didn't think we'd have much in the tank to finish two laps or 2.5 miles. We slowed down to a comfy 9:20 pace over the last mile or so and finished with our best average pace of 9.04/mile. We finished 2.5 miles and I'm glad now that Rudy started us off so fast. My IPOD tracks my times as I run and also uploads my runs to Nikeplus.com. I thought I'd post my last five runs so that you can see how I'm doing.

Just a bump in the road...

Good news...

The shin splints which I thought were going to be a major set back have turned out to be only a bump in the road. I started running every third day and I'm happy to say that my last two runs were both for 3.13. I'm running that distance because that is the distance for my first race which I will be running in August. My last two runs have been the longest runs I've managed to put together back to back!

I ran 5 Kilometers on Sunday in just under thirty minutes, and just over my 5k personal best. I'm planning on running two miles tomorrow to see how my legs respond to just one day of rest. If I feel good, I'm planning on resting only one day and running another two miles on Thursday. I'll rest Friday and Saturday and then take my first shot at four miles.

I lifted weights today and biked 2.3 miles on a stationary bike. Hopefully my dad will be lending me his bike soon and I'll be hitting the road to cross train for a triathlon some time next spring.

Hiccup

So I set all these goals I wanted to reach and just when I'm getting into running, my legs start protesting! I started running in March and then stopped because I got a nasty case of shin splints and finals has a way of interrupted everything. Anyway, I'm back to running and the shin splints have decided to revisit. So I'm having to rearrange my plans. I ran 3k (1.8 miles) on Monday and felt good during the run but I'm hurting a little today. So I've decided to push my next run back an extra day to give my legs some time to recover. I'm planning for 3 miles on Thursday. In the meantime, I'm going add a swim session and bike workout on the days I don't run. You see, I've started thinking about competing in a sprint triathlon. Half mile in the water, 12.4 in the saddle (bike) and a 5k (3.13 miles) run. So I thought since my shins aren't cooperating, I can start working on swimming and biking, both of which are easier on my shins. I'm still waiting to hear from someone who wants to loose a few pounds!!!!

The Pay Off

I started working out three weeks ago. The first two weeks I worked out with weights twice a week and ran a mile twice a week. Last week I went to weights three days a week and up'd my mileage to four miles for the week. This week, I've run 9.8 miles!

I'm writing to let everyone know that hard work pays off. I've lost 5 lbs since I started exercising and eating better. I'm planning to keep working out weekly and I'm hoping to raise my mileage till I'm running somewhere between 30 to 40 miles a week.

Anyone want to join me with a better diet and some regular exercise?

Email me and let me know you're goals and we can train together!