Tag Archive | 5K

Focusing and Goals

Jan8

Questionmark-240x300January 2, 2014 I had my first training session of the year with my trainer and while we were discussing some of my grand scheme goals, the idea of what do I really want to accomplish came up during the session. Before the year started, I already had a running goal in mind. I also had some ideas of things I wanted to accomplish otherwise as well. But now, I need to figure those goals out concretely and figure out a plan of attack.

I suppose the number one goal is to get to the number I have been “dreaming” about on the scale. I’m much closer than I was at the start of last year. And while I should have met that number last year, I’m ok that it didn’t happen. It was aggressive to meet but now I think it can happen.

At my session, we were kind of brainstorming some things I should try to do this year. For instance, one of the things is to go shopping for clothing that is not workout related. I hate shopping and I really desperately need to buy some clothes that fit. Just about everything I own is way too big. However given my past shopping experiences I always dread it because while I may be smaller, things still never fit. So it is beyond frustrating to shop for something new. However, I should probably try to not look like a slob when I am not working out. Continue reading →

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I’m a Runner

Apr1

running shoesThere, I said it. I’m a runner. I’ve been at the running thing since 2006. It is now 2013 and I feel like a runner. I am a runner. Some people would say that I’ve been a runner since 2006, but back then, I felt like a fraud. Sure, I would jog / run a little bit, but more of my time was spent with walk breaks. But last August, something finally clicked and I started to feel like I could accomplish things with running.

It is now April and so far this year, I have run over 221 miles. Yes, over 200 miles. In January, I started the year with a 5K race and over the course of the month, ran over 50 miles. February turned out to be an even better month. There were three fewer days and I ran over 10 miles more. The big month so far has been last month where I put in over 105 miles. If that seems like a lot of miles to you, imagine how it feels to me. Before this year, I thought I was having a good month when I got in 30 miles in a month. A run longer than three miles seemed like forever. Granted, I had done way more than that on numerous occasions, but those were just for races. Running more than three miles in a race was a no-brainer to me. It was what races were for. Continue reading →

Almost Done it All

Nov17

This past weekend I ran a 10K. It was supposed to be a 10-miler, but it was just a day that 10 miles wasn’t going to happen. It was also a chance for me to look back over the year of running and see exactly what I have accomplished.

After my hometown beotch “disaster,” I could look at the year as such a huge disappointment. However if I am realistic about it, it was a fantastic year of running for me. I ran pretty much every distance there is to do in some form or fashion. Maybe not necessarily as a race, but definitely putting in those miles in some capacity.

I started the year off with a 5K on New Year’s Day. Then a few months later I did a 10K. Then an 8K. A 5-miler. A half marathon. A 20-mile training run. An attempt at 26.2. Then another 5K and most recently a 10K.

Each race I managed to do something fun, in that I shaved time off of previous bests at these various distances. November 5th, I ran a 5K race. It was my first race since the Chicago Marathon. And I destroyed my prior best 5k time. When I say destroyed it, I mean that my previous mile splits were along the lines of 13 minutes per mile. In that 5K, I was averaging 10:55 per mile with at least one sub nine minute mile. All in all, I ran that 5K in just under 31 minutes. Continue reading →

Accomplishment

May7

2nd most important piece of running equipment

Today I ran a five-mile race along the lakefront on the south side in Chicago. It was a good day. It was also my birthday, so it was great way to start out a new year of my life (ugh). I actually have done two races this week, with a neighborhood 5K this past sunday and then today’s five-miler.

The massive positives. In April, I ran an 8K (4.97 miles) race. It was the official start of the race season. My time wasn’t great for that race, but I was ok with that. It was my first time at the distance in a race. This despite having run 5Ks, 1/2 marathons and attempting a full marathon. It was also a bit warmer than I prefer for running in general. Though, making excuses shouldn’t be allowed. Anyway, today I shaved almost 2:30 off my five-mile finish time. That right there is huge. I went a slightly farther distance and I ran it faster. Continue reading →