Run in a race

I ran in my first race yesterday! I had only been consistently training for a little over three weeks. I registered for the race and I didn’t let myself back out of it. The night before the race we got the first snow of the season, very prematurely! The trail on race day was icy! I had to be sure to take it easy whenever I saw ice, but whenever the trail was the slightest bit dry I stepped it up a notch. During the last few hundred feet of the race it was dry and I began sprinting. Nobody else around me did. SERIOUSLY, IT’S THE END OF THE RACE, GIVE IT YOUR ALL PEOPLE!

I actually did quite well for not training very long. I finished in nearly the upper quarter of my division (Females 20-29,) the upper quarter for my sex, and the upper third overall. While training my pace averaged around 9:48, but for the race it was 8:51! I think my pace during training was slower because I train on hills and my pace gets slowed down once I head back into town and I have to wait for traffic.

I can’t wait to race again! We’re supposed to get 2-4 inches of snow tomorrow, but I’m not going to let that get in the way of training! I’m not hitting the treadmill either. I’m going to tough it out outside for as long as I possible can. Only negative temperatures can stop me!

I was training to run in a race in July, but I was having terrible knee pain. After several setbacks over the summer, I am finally training again for my first race! It will be a 5k on October 10th. I am really excited!

My new running shoes from Nike arrived today! I also have all of the Nike+ gear. The only problem is that my iPod nano won’t be arriving until this weekend. Hopefully by then my headaches and nausea will be completely gone. I had the worst migraine of my life last night. Hopefully my body will be healthy by the end of February so that I can work on being REALLY healthy. :) So excited!

I think my cold is nearly gone. Thank goodness.
My Sansa MP3 player stopped working. Because of that I am looking at getting a REAL MP3 player. I’m currently looking at a 4th generation iPod Nano. It will be a great size for running! I am also looking at getting new running shoes. I am currently loving the shoes that are pictured in this entry. They can be found at the following link:
http://store.nike.com/index.jsp?country=US&lang_locale=en_US&l=shop,pwp,c-1+100701/f-12003/hf-4294967065/t-Nike%2B&sitesrc=uspl#l=shop,pdp,ctr-inline/cid-1/pid-199525/pgid-177959

If I buy the iPod Nano and these shoes, I also plan to buy the Nike+ iPod sport kit and also a sport arm band. I am so excited to spend this money that I’ve been hoarding!

This is my second week of training, but my knees kill. Because of this I didn’t run yesterday or go to Tae Kwon Do. I’m also skipping out on physical activity today. I may not run tomorrow, but at least go to Tae Kwon Do. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to get in a run either Friday and/or Saturday.

Today during my lunch break I found a running plan for a 5k race here: http://www.runningplanet.com/training/your-first-5K-race.html
I’ve modified it and I am extending the training until the beginning of April. Once April hits I’m hoping it will be nice enough for me to begin training for the 4 mile race outside. I’m really excited for this! My only problem with this might be that I’ll push myself too hard. On Monday I ran 2.5 miles really hard, even though I haven’t ran in months and I haven’t been too active lately. Needless to say the next day my heart/chest killed with pain. I need to take my time and allow my body to adjust to the strain. I’m glad I have a plan. :)