Bishop Ireton Cardinal 5k Race Report

I won!

27:10 (crushed my goal time).

3rd place in my age division (20-29 female).

My prize was a pair of way-too-big-even-for-my-husband socks. haha.

I pretty much followed my plan.  Started out fast, dialed it back half-way, and I finished strong.  I wish I wouldn't have slowed down so much around 2.25 miles.  Overall I'm very happy, and I'll work on my stamina for next time.

The race was held in Alexandria, VA on some trails that I was familiar with.  The course was well marked, with volunteers pointing us in the right direction at the turns.  Some of the turns were at acute angles, which slowed me down a little.  It was a pretty small race (maybe 100-150?), so although the trails aren't that wide, I didn't have any problems with crowding.  The trails were open for public use, and we did come across a lot of other runners, walkers, and some dogs, but everyone was polite and it wasn't an issue.  Miles were well marked.  Entry fee was a little steep ($30) but it went to the Bishop Ireton High School Athletic Boosters, so at least the money is going to a good place.  There was a folk band playing after the race.  The socks were a terrible prize, but what can you really expect for age division 3rd place?  I'm not complaining, because something is better than nothing.

What is the worst prize you've ever gotten?

5k Goal Time

I honestly have no idea what my goal time should be for my 5k this weekend.  The only time I know my pace is when I'm on a treadmill.  I don't have a Garmin and I don't wear a watch, which means when I run outside I have no idea how fast or slow I'm going.  I only know how I feel.  I actually do much better (mentally) when I don't know exactly how far I've gone or what my time is.

But this does make it difficult to set race goals.

Current official 5k PR::: 29:26 (9:28 pace) from 2007
Best time that I am aware of::: at the National Half last March I ran the first 10k in 57:05 (9:12 pace)
Training so far::: I calculated that I ran 5k in my speed workout at 9:23 minutes per mile, and I ran 2 miles in under 16:00 this week.

Based on these factors, I think it is an attainable goal (and would be awesome) to run the 5k in under 28 minutes (9:00 pace).

The plan: start fast, take it back a notch in the middle if I have to, end with a strong kick.

BREAKING NEWS:::: I am fast!

Seriously people, I just ran the fastest 2 miles of my life!

Mile 1 was the fastest single mile I had ever run, until I ran mile 2 even faster.  It must have been the deep dish pizza I ate last night!

The whole truth is that I was on a treadmill, and I know it's not the same as running outside, but I am still stoked about this.

I had no grand plans of making this the day I would push myself beyond what I normally do; it just happened.  I had 15 minutes before my total body workout class, so I hopped on the treadmill to get in a quick mile.  I ran a quarter of a mile at 6.0 mph, and 30 seconds into that warm up, it hit me.  I was going to run fast today.  I wanted to go fast right away, but forced myself to finish the warm up.  I intended to increase the speed to an 8:00 pace, but I acidentally increased the speed to 7.6 mph (7:54 pace) and decided to stick with it.  After a mile here, I felt awesome and proud, so I kept going.  Half a mile later, I was feeling the stitch in my side and labored breathing, and call me crazy, but I actually liked it - I was working hard for that stitch!  I increased my speed again to 8.0 mph (7:30 pace) and knocked out another half mile.  I was late for my class, so I stopped there, but I am still considering this one of my best running days ever.

Mile 1: 7:54 minutes
Mile 2: 7:42 minutes

It is shocking to see those numbers written down.  I think 7 is my favorite number today! Woot woot!

Races I'm Thinking About

Since my 5k Turkey Trot plans went down the drain with some changes to our usual Thanksgiving family visitation schedule, I've had to find some different races.

Bishop Ireton Cardinal 5K on October 17: This race is held by the Bishop Ireton Athletic Boosters, and I have no idea how big it is. This is only the second year for the race, but it is chip timed, so how bad could it be?

Alexandria Turkey Trot 5-Miler on November 25: I love turkey trots that are actually on Thanksgiving.  There's no better way to start the day than to be thankful for your health and run a race (and not feel guilty later in the day when you stuff your face with food).  I've never raced 5 miles before, but it is the only Turkey Trot I could find, and I'm excited about adding more race distances to my resume. I'm very familiar with the course, and I like it.

Jingle All The Way 10K on December 13: Why not continue training past Thanksgiving and run with bells on?!? (Do people actually wear bells for this??) By December I should be in good shape to rock a 10k.  I'm also really familiar with this course, and it should be good (if it isn't too windy!).

Speed Workout Numero Uno

Yesterday I did my first speed workout.  I based it on the recommended interval run from Hal Hidgon.

warm up 1 mile @ 6 mph
run .25 miles @ 7 mph
recover .25 miles @ 6 mph
repeat the quarter-mile set 4 more times.

Hal suggests the speedy quarter-miles be run at the pace you would run a mile race.  I picked 7 mph (or an 8:34 pace) because I wanted to start with something I knew I could accomplish.  Not being able to finish my first speed workout would be a total downer for the rest of my training.  I probably should have run the fast parts faster and the recovery parts slower, but it is a huge mental thing with me that I hate to put the treadmill below 6 mph.

What is your favorite speed workout?

A Girl's Best Friend

A good sports bra is hard to find.  For years I wore two sports bras at once, because one never did the trick, and even that still wasn't great. I assumed that since I was busty I was just not built for running/jumping/etc., and that definitely had an impact on how much (or little) I exercised.  Even when I did work out, I certainly didn't push myself to the limit because I was too self-conscious.  However, a while ago a found the best sports bra.



Behold:


(www.championusa.com)

             the Powerback Underwire Sports Bra by Champion!

Pros:

1. Minimized Bouncing: The construction of this bra is such that bouncing is contained in all directions.

2. Adjustable Straps: Hooray!

3. Price: $40 each (which is a lot better than many comparable bras), but there are often Buy 1 Get 1 Half-Off sales.

4. Lift and Separation: I look and feel good when I wear this bra. No one wants a uniboob.

5. Solid Construction: I’ve had some of my bras for over a year, and I wear and wash them a lot, but they haven’t lost any of their integrity. The fabric is nice.

6. Underwire: I’ve never felt any discomfort from the underwires, and they aren’t coming out at all.

 

Cons:

 

1. Difficult to Don: The racerback closes with 3 hook and eye closures. You have to have some flexibility in your arms/shoulders in order to get the bra closed. (I have come close, but never had to resort to asking the poor soul at the locker next to mine to strap me in.)

2. Sizing: They run true to size, but Champion should definitely carry these bras in sizes larger than DD!

 

The pros totally outweigh the cons (unless, of course, you can't clasp the bra by yourself).  Champion has never given me anything for free (although I wouldn't mind that!) and we have no relationship.  I just wanted to put this out there for girls like me whose lack of a good sports bra is holding them back.

 

 

P.S. I am sorry about the formatting. I copied and pasted and something happened, but I don't know how to fix it. You'd think an engineer would be good with technology. Not so- I'm pretty much a technophobe.  I will try to be better.

Fall Training Schedule

My Turkey Trot 5k plans have been foiled, because I'm not going to be where I thought I was going to be for Thanksgiving, so that race is out.  However, I'm still going to start with this training schedule and figure out the race schedule at a later date.  This training schedule will get me running regularly, and that's good enough for me.  I've found that just by getting our there and running, I improve.

The training schedule is based on Hal Higdon's Intermediate 5k training program.

To be honest, this schedule seems really tough for me, and I totally wasn't expecting to log so many miles training for such a short distance.  I hope I can do it, but if I have to shorten some of the Tuesday and Thursday runs in order to get a good strength workout in, I won't fret.  I'm trying to work on my speed, and this is my first attempt at doing any kind to speedwork or tempo runs, and I'm slightly frightened of the intervals on Mondays.  We shall see.