What Was I Thinking??

Well I ran five miles this morning and the whole time I was thinking "what was I thinking?" The first 20 minutes my shins were on fire, the next 20 I limped through the ache and then finally I think my body just went numb and I didn't feel it any more. It took me an hour and 23 minutes, which is about a 16.5 minute mile. At this pace it'll take me over 7 hours to finish the marathon, which also happens to be the time limit. But I have another 3 months to train and build up my speed and endurance. I really have to start stretching regularly and doing other exercises on the days I don't run to build up my whole body strength. I also have to find out how to avoid getting sweat rashes in private places.

It was a beautiful day in the Park. I just wanted to finish in under an hour and a half, which I did. So I consider the day a success and a wake up call. The next road race we are doing is March 14th, a 5-miler in Central Park. It will be interesting to see how much more strength I build by then. Stay tuned for more updates.

Photos from the 5K

Here is a picture of me before the 5K started. It was about 20 degrees.

I am about 50 feet from the finish line at this point. Apparently this is what I look like when smiling while running.

Lastly is a photo of me enjoying the post race bagel. I am also seriously considering getting back in my bed for a nap.

5K

Today was my first road race, a 5K around Prospect Park. It took me 45 minutes and 41 seconds to run the 3.1 miles. It was really exhilarating. At this pace of a 15 minute mile, it'll take me 6.5 hours to finish the marathon. The last 5 minutes I really kicked it in to high gear. Initially I wanted to finish under 50 minutes, but when I realized I was keeping pace to finish in 45 I really pushed myself. The other Team in Training folks were really supportive and all cheered me on at the finish line. Thanks to David my mentor for taking pictures, which I'll be posting soon. As soon as I was done running I wanted to collapse. They gave me water and a bagel, which I devoured like I hadn't eaten in weeks. The beginning of the race was really nerve racking, especially since they "corral" all 5000 runners and it took about 5 minutes before my group even passed the start line.

I have also raised almost $2500 of my $4000 for Team in Training, and I still have 3 months left. I will post pictures soon, check back for more updates!

The Pain

My body hurts, just the part below my knees, but those are crucial parts. Since the beginning of January I have run 23.3 miles. It has been 13.3 miles in the last 2 weeks alone, and the number is only going to climb higher. On Monday I am gonna go to Jack Rabbit Sports and use my 15% Team in Training discount to buy an amazingly comfortable pair of shoes, some cushiony socks, and something to carry water in whilst running. They have a treadmill set up in the store where they record you running, and then analyze to help you find the right pair of shoes for you. I am pretty sure that one of my legs is longer to the other, and that I limp on my left leg while I'm running. Also, most people tend to kick their feet back off the ground while running, and I'm just lifting them enough to move them to the next spot on the road. More info to follow about my running analysis.

Coming up next weekend is my first race as a member of Team in Training. There is a 5K race in Prospect Park, complete with finish line, grabbing cups to drink whilst running, and thousands of people passing me as I struggle through. My goal is to complete it in under 50 minutes, and preferably not last. Wish me luck.

Week 3

This morning was our third group run, which I slept through. But I made up the four miles around Prospect Park once I was fully rested. FOUR MILES! Every part of my body was telling me to stop and that I was crazy. After about half an hour was the point of no return, and the run went by quicker. It took me an hour and 9 minutes, only 17 of which I walked. This was by far my longest run. But you can assume every Saturday that its my longest run ever. I am ignoring the fact that in a few weeks I'll be asked to run double digits, and just trying to get through this week. At about 15 minutes I reached a point of the Park where I could have slipped out in to the Grand Army Plaza and hopped a bus back to my apartment. I'm not sure why I kept going, thank God I did. I am definitely going to avoid missing group runs from now on. The fact that there was no one waiting for me on the other side, and no one to know whether I completed it or not made it very tempting to quit.

I can definitely tell a difference in my endurance. I do a pattern of running 4 minutes, walking 1 and that makes a big difference over running until you cant any more and then just being too exhausted to even walk much farther. The whole run I kept thinking about I never thought this is something I would want to do or ever could do. But it feels great, to know that in 3 months I'll be running a MARATHON. Also the thought of the amazing nap I am going to take this afternoon was a big motivator.

Thank God for this 3-day weekend to rest!

Please support my training and support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society at my fund raising website: http://pages.teamintraining.org/nyc/rnr09/eleanorrigby164

My first group run

Today I had my first group training session. 3.3 miles around Prospect Park. It was a little chilly, but running always warms right up. Its crazy to think that in less than 4 months I'll be running a marathon. 3.3 miles will seem like a walk down the block. At my current pace it'll take a little over 7 hours to complete the marathon, which also happens to be the time limit. I'm hoping to get it down to 5 hours by May.

Of course on my walk back across the Park I slipped and landed on my right thigh. I'm hoping that doesn't turn in to a nice bruise.

My legs didn't hurt too badly during the run, especially once I got going. My shins were a bit sore, but nothing major. I started out running 4 minutes and walking 1 minute, and than after 20 minutes I switched to running 3 minutes and walking 2 minutes. I don't expect to be able to run the entire marathon without walking, it will just be in larger chunks of time by then. So far so good. Wish me luck for next week!