That Time I Had a Non-Race PR

I was out way too late last night, having a great time with a friend. We worked on baby shower stuff, drank wine, ate dinner and laughed. Then, just as we thought the night was winding down, friends of hers got engaged and we ended up going out to meet them - at 11:15. I crawled into bed at 1:30! I was pretty tired today.

We made it to Sunday School and church. All I wanted to do when I got home was go to bed. It was cold here today, which made snuggling in for a nap sounded even more appealing. But, Brett had a baseball game (first travel game of the season!) and he needed to be there at 3:15. I didn't have time for a run and a nap. I groaned and moaned and finally got ready to go.

I convinced myself that I only had to do two miles. I figured even two would be a decent workout and was better than nothing. Somewhere around mile one I decided that I should just do a 5k. My first mile was 11:22, which surprised me. I felt pretty good, maybe a bit winded, and actually ended up 11:23 for the second mile. At that point, I was getting pretty tired. I walked a house at one point and then ended up walking a house again after a quarter mile. I figured my third mile was going to be pretty slow. Then, when my watch finally beeped, it said 11:19. 11:19! I ended up finishing the 5k at 35:14!!!! I actually ended up beating my 36 minute goal, which I was working to complete in June.

Brett ended up winning his game, too. I still haven't been to the grocery store, so we ate dinner at a local Chinese buffet to celebrate his win and my run. It was really a great day. But, it also meant that the dishes didn't get done and there's still laundry left. But, we had great times with family and friends and I am beyond thrilled with my run.

How was your weekend run? Anyone else wish we had just one more day?

Saturday Spin

I'm trying spin again today. I'm actually excited! I hope it's a little easier this time, but I know it will be a good workout either way. (Today I'm wearing Capri workout pants, a dry fit shirt and my Brooks PureFlow IIs.) Then, I'm off to pick up the middle one from a sleepover...and have a mimosa or two with a good friend!! (Best Saturday ever!!!!)

I did end up getting a run in yesterday. Husband started C25K and asked me to do it with him. He has never liked running but desperately wants/needs to get into shape. I agreed and figured I could use it as some speed work; I have way more endurance right now, but he is much faster. Day 1 ended up taking us about 1.5 miles. He went home at the end and I went on to do the rest of the 5K. I intended to just take it easy and not worry about speed and had a nice run. So, I was shocked to see that I did my third mile at 11:25...that's really fast for me. Maybe this cross training thing is working?

I don't believe I'll get a run in tomorrow since it's Easter, but hopefully I can get some yoga in and a run on Monday.

Happy Saturday! I hope you can enjoy some fun/drinks with your friends, too!

And on Sunday, I Didn't Rest

If things had gone as planned this week, I would be resting today.  Because I didn't work out on Wednesday or Thursday, however, I'm going to run this afternoon.

We just got home from church and Sunday School a little while ago. The youngest is at baseball practice and the middle one was just picked up from a sleepover. The dishwasher has been unloaded and reloaded and some laundry was folded. I'm going to eat lunch and then, after waiting a little bit, will attempt a 5K at 36 minutes. I can do it...right?

I'm a little nervous about adding the mile in its entirety today. I've been doing 2 pretty consistently lately, so a whole mile added to that seems like a lot. But, I guess we'll just see what happens. I need to remember not to be disappointed if I can't do it. My actual deadline (meaning, the race I'm planning to attend) to do this is in June, so I certainly have time.

Late this afternoon we'll be coloring Easter eggs with our nephew and having family dinner.

Happy Sunday!

Small Victories and a New Goal

My workout plan this week didn't end up working. I did pilates on Wednesday and really wanted to get a run in on Thursday. But, I had a meeting that I knew would go very late on Thursday night and thought it wouldn't be wise to get up too early that morning. Then, because I was up so late, I couldn't myself out of bed on Friday. I intended to run after work yesterday, but we were invited to spend the evening with friends and that sounded more fun! (And it really, really was!)

Saturday morning arrived with a slight chardonnay-induced headache. 8:45 spin? It didn't happen. I sat with my coffee, thinking about running and also thinking that the gym didn't sound even remotely appealing. The 29 degree weather didn't really sound nice for an outdoor run, either, but I knew something had to happen. I would've been pretty annoyed with myself if I hadn't done anything. I talked myself into bundling up in my cold running gear and heading out the door. And, guess what?!?!?!?! My first mile was 11:40 and my second was 12:02 - and that was with stopping for three cars to pass!). Woo hoo!

(I meant to take a picture of what I wear when I run in the cold, but I got distracted by my neighbors and I forgot. I'll try to remember for next time!)

I'm so pleased that I managed to get going this morning and I'm beyond thrilled that I'm managing to get faster. Remember, it's all about personal victories. There are certainly bazillions of people in the world who are faster than me. But, I went faster today than I have in the past and that's what matters. Those bazillions of people don't care how fast - or slow - I run.

Even though I already planned out my races for the year, my great run this morning made me decide that I need to shoot for a 36 minute 5K in the spring. My husband mentioned an evening race that happens in our neighborhood in June - I think that will be it! It was a really hot one last year, though, so I'll need to be careful with that. However - it's a goal and I'm in!!!

Happy Saturday, everyone! Get your exercise in and then do something with your family and friends :-)

My Race Schedule

So far in 2013, I plan to run the following:

The Color Run (5k with my daughter and some friends), August
Mighty Niagara Half Marathon (with a friend), September
Turkey Trot (8k, November)

You may notice that my first run isn't until August and I'm good with it, although I'm not positive I won't do anything before that. But, for now, I need to focus on getting faster. It's not that I'm particularly worried about being speedy, but I know that to improve I need to be faster and stop taking as many walk breaks. So, my goal is to run a consistent 12 minute mile. (I'd say that right now I span between 12:30 and 14.) My last run was a treadmill run set for 2 miles at 12. It was hard, but I did it. The one before that was outside and I averaged 12:06. (My first mile - courtesy of my pink Forerunner 10 - was 12:17 and my second mile was 11:54.)

I'm going to be helping to organize a run to help a school in Haiti. (Info on that to come as I have it.) So, that race will definitely be added to my list. Otherwise, I'm content with it as it stands. My plan to work on my speed and work on my cross-training. My husband and daughter will be doing C25K, so I know I'll be running with them. I have more endurance than both of them, but they're definitely faster. I think I'll be able to count those workouts as speed work.

What's on your race schedule? Do you do speed work?