Running Update

I haven't posted about running lately because there's not been much to post.

The Tuesday after the 5K, we went out with the running club. I decided to go ahead and try to run with them on their 5K route just to see how I did. One of the guys in the club, Don, was nice enough to run with me, even though I'm slow. He was very encouraging and a great partner! I ended up beating my time from the race that day. I don't remember my exact time, but I think it was around 39 minutes. A huge part of that is the fact that the course is basically flat and of course I didn't have a pit stop.

After that day, for various reasons we didn't run the next few times. Last Tuesday, I tried the route again and partnered with another girl in the club who is normally pretty fast but had shin splints. We actually ended up walking a bunch and we cut a few blocks off the route. So, not really a noteworthy performance.

Last Thursday was a horrible run. I didn't have anyone to partner with, so I walked a lot - it's easy for me to take it easy when there's no one there to encourage me. I ended up really psyching myself out to the point where I was hyperventilating. Not my most stellar moment. It was a good thing no one was there to see me (except the strangers who were passing me on the path!)

This week, I skipped Tuesday. My allergies have been bothering me and I'd had a migraine since Sunday, so Alec went without me.

Thursday we ran in a different neighborhood, where one of the members lives. Everyone had been talking about this huge hill on the course, so I was pretty scared. Of course, I feel behind the group early. The hill was at the beginning of the course, but it was downhill that time - so, that wasn't so bad (though I need to learn how to use the downhills to my advantage - I feel like I expend too much energy trying not to go fast, because I don't want to be running pell mell down the hill).

Anyway, as I got to the bottom, I walked a bit and there I saw Don coming back to run with me - he really is a nice guy! Anyway, I did OK the rest of the course - Don let me walk when I needed to, but not far. When we got back to the hill Don said "We're going to start at that first mailbox [this was still on the flat] and we're going to run to the pole with the mirror [which was on the hill]." I said I'd try. And I actually did it - discovering when I got to the top of the hill that the pole was in fact at the top of the hill. The hill was on a curve, so I thought I couldn't see the top.

Which means I ran the whole way up the hill! I was really proud of that. But, then I had to walk for a bit. As we neared the house where we started, Alec was running back - he didn't realize Don had stayed behind with me and he was worried. I sprinted to the end, and that's when I got a little disappointed. My time was over 47 minutes, so slower than the 5K. Now, this course was 3.3 miles, and I hadn't really had a good run in almost a month, and I've been sick, but I still felt like that equates to a 3.5 - 4 minute difference in the time.

If I don't think about the time, I feel good about the run, but that time sure bugs me.

Of course, it encourages me to try to do better on Tuesday's run. Hopefully someone who knows the 5K route will feel like going slow so I can find my way. Since I've only done it twice and the 2nd time we cut off one turn, I don't know it very well. But, I'd like to try and beat 39 minutes if I can.