I don't know if I've officially mentioned this on here or not...but on April 18th, I will be participating in my first "race." I am doing a 5K that our church holds/sponsors. I have several girlfriends running with me so I know it's gonna be a great time.
That being said...it just dawned on me that April is in 2 days! AUGH! I've been lollygagging around thinking that I've got puhhh-leennnnty of time to "train" for this run...and now I'm freaking out because I have less than 3 weeks until race day!
(on a side note...what the HECK is lollygagging? Where did that word come from? Anyone know? What a WEIRD word!!! -but it sounded like it belonged there in that sentence!)
So...today, in light of the upcoming race, I decided to take my butt outside and do some running. Luckily, our town has nice concrete sidewalks that run all along main street (and a little ways past the businesses). Also luckily, my parents own the land that the sidewalks actually start on...so I parked on our land and began my treck. All the way down to the Kum-n-Go and back. That was my course--approximately 2.3 miles according to the tripometer in my car. At first, it was easy peasy...downhill and the wind slamming against my back, pushing me forward. Eventually, though, the ground leveled off and it got a little harder but still...going strong. Woohoo---I made it to Kum-n-Go...now time to turn around and head back.
WHAT THE ??????
Okay...I've been told that running outside is quite differet than running on a treadmill and I believed that it was. But no one told me it was going to be like running in waist-deep water with your feet stuck in sand with a ginormous fan pointed right at your face! It was like--"I know my feet are moving but I'm not going anywhere!!"
I made decent time on my way there (about 10 minutes) but it took me like 15 minutes to get back and I was running faster and harder than I did for the first leg of the trip! Now my ears hurt and I can't quit coughing. I just checked our weather...currently it is overcast at 66 degrees with winds at 21 mph. All I know is that I am going to start right now praying for winds of 0 mph on race day. Dang--it's hard enough just running...but I sure don't want any added resistance!
Having said all that....I am going to attempt to run this course every day that my schedule permits from now until race day. Yes..it was miserable and I hated every second of it...but like I say "Pain is weakness leaving the body!"
4 years ago
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3 comments:
I totally understand the "what's this..???" feeling when u made the corner. That was how my first race was. the wind was insane! They say the course on the 18th is pretty flat, so as long as the wind holds off we'll do fine.
OH how I love that-"PAIN IS WEAKNESS LEAVING THE BODY!" That's derived from the Marine Corps-so I'm quite partial to it being a prior Marine and all :).
Just think of the wind as "good training." It helped you no matter how hard it was, remember that. You'll do fine!!
I have a 10k coming up and I only ran once. I figured, if I can do plyo for an hour, I can run for an hour, LOL. Think of your run like that too, it'll give you a boot, cuz I know you can kill plyo!! :)
First of all...for any significant running, I would say 10k or longer you really should have the right shoes. I suggest going to a specialty store and having them help you select a pair appropriate for your arch, pronation and amount of cushion you prefer. Secondly, stay away from the concrete! Your knees will last much longer doing your training on asphalt or better yet dirt/grass. Have fun, and remember the first 2-3 miles are the toughest - because your body mechanics are continually adjusting to develop increased efficiency...start running 6-7 miles at only 70% of your typical 2.5 mile effort and this well help give you a stronger endurance base, as well as develop efficiency in your stride.
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