run a 5k

I completed the 2 mile race in the Frostbite series today. My unofficial time is 20:03. That is just shy of 6 mph and I’m pretty pleased because it was only 3 or 4 months ago that I couldn’t run 2 minute intervals at 5.5 mph.

I’m still trying to learn POSE running. My foot placement is still in front of my body but I’m wasting a lot less energy on bouncing my 250lb body up into the air and then reabsorbing the shock of it coming back down.

I ran with Harry again for most of the race. (Harry is the aforementioned ‘metronome’ from my 3K race. He and his wife were both running. Again, his pace and his words of encouragement during the race were key in finishing as fast as I did.

The next race in the series is the 5K. When I complete that race, I will mark this goal complete. Only 2 weeks to go before my first official 5K race.

Nerves before the race. I nearly lost my breakfast approximately a quarter mile in. Michele kept up cheerful banter before the race and I just sat there mildly sick to my stomach.

Standing in the mob before the start, I pick my mark; I will beat him. No matter what happens, I will finish before he does. Of course, as the race started, he disappeared behind me never to be seen again.

There is a strange thinning effect at the beginning of a big race. Everyone starts out together in a semi-shuffle with barely enough room to take a step. Then, gradually, as people begin finding their pace, the crowd pares down. After several minutes, you are surrounded by those who are likely to be nearby the whole race as well as though who will soon find adrenaline has dropped them in the pot and running a pace they can’t sustain. For most of the race, the flow of people around you will be from the front, falling back. It seems not too many people realize they should be running faster, not slower and start actively passing people.

At the end of the race, there is a corollary effect as the strong finishers start picking up the pace for that final run in. Those hearty souls who have the heart to dig deep and leave it all on the track begin to creep forward until the time for the final effort, a mighty burst with, surely, some impact on their speed. I wonder, do the spectators see the change in speed or is it just in our hearts and our heads that we are sprinting like the wind?

Michele had hot chocolate and chicken noodle soup waiting in thermoses in the car. Of course, I was home before the thought of something in my stomach wasn’t repulsive. Gasping for air, just past the finish line, I managed to keep my breakfast down for the second time.

I’m glad I did this run. The longest run in the series will be 4 miles. I think the 5K is the 3rd run so it is a month away right now. Running in the slush and falling snow, searing my lungs with gaseous fire, tempering myself to make a stronger, more resilient me.

I registered for the Frostbite Series this week. Nothing like cutting it close. The reduced fee postmark deadline is today. One week from the first run of the series. 3K on Saturday, Dec 15. CrossFit has really upped my tolerances for faster paces but I still have no idea how to pace myself on the road. We will see how fast I can pull this one off. I think my trainer is running the short version of this series as well. I guess I can eat her dust for a couple minutes.

I have to register for the frostbite series. I need to get it out this week. I’ll post something if I get it done. Every day I procrastinate is another missed chance.

I just set a new personal record, 5k in 35:48. This was on the road near my house. I’m surprised I managed to set a PR when I had to walk for 6-8 minutes around mile 2. I ran this today because it was yesterday’s workout of the day (WOD) for CrossFit .

Warm up, walked .5 miles on the treadmill.
Quick stretch.
5 miles in 63:57.
Cool down, walked .5+ miles.
Longer stretch.

Several observations occur to me. First, my brand new running shoes are laced too tight and now my feet ache. Second, I had the same minor problems with the first two miles, but miles three and four were pretty good. Mile five was bad. And by bad, I mean really bad. It got a lot harder after four miles. At four and a half miles, it got really hard. The last quarter mile was serious death march. I was down to 4.3 miles per hour by then and almost half stumbling a lot. Every tenth of a mile was pure struggle. Back around mile three I was enjoying conquering those mental demons, imagining myself as some kind of dragon slayer or something. Well every single one of those demons and dragons was waiting for me in that last quarter mile. And finally, one last observation, I’m a lot more flexible after five miles of running. I hope I can avoid every muscle in my body cinching up like leather straps drying on wood.

If I can run five miles, the frostbite series should be fairly easy. I don’t know how soon I’m likely to try anything longer than five miles though. Right now, I can’t imagine how marathoners do it, much less those super endurance runners doing 100+ mile races.

I set another personal distance record today. After lifting weights with my trainer for 30 minutes, I ran 4 miles in 49:15. I may not set any world records but there is no way I won’t finish the runs on the Frostbite series. The 5K is in the bag.

I feel so good when I finish a run. The first 1.5 miles today were really hard. It seemed like I was checking the clock every minute. My mind was wearing down and my willpower struggled to fight back. I refused to quit. Nothing could make me stop. After each glance at the clock I told myself I’m not stopping now. Finally, in the second half of the second mile, I started to ease into my stride. Things smoothed out and the minutes just rolled by. It is incredible to realize I just don’t have to stop.

I ran 5K on a treadmill in 37:57. It wasn’t a glorious time but I did finish without once slowing to a walk. Imagine that, I can actually run a 5K. Now, if I can just learn how to set a pace, I might be OK when I run those Frostbite races.

The St. Louis Track Club hosts the Frostbite Series over the winter. I am going to participate in the short distances of this 5 race series. Dec 15, 3 kilometer. Dec 29, 2 mile. Jan 12, 5 kilometer. Jan 26, 4 mile. Feb 9, 3 mile. I’ve never done anything like this and I will be happy to finish, forget placing.

If you live in or near St. Louis, why don’t you join me for a bit of winter fun in Forest Park?

I just finished a run. If you’ve been with me, you might know that my furthest run before today was ~2.1 miles. Knowing that, and knowing it was probably less than 2 weeks ago that I did it, you might find my accomplishments today a little surprising.

I just finished running 3 miles on the treadmill and finished it in 35:18. I think I’m still in shock. Looking back at it, the key seems to have been not setting any limits. Before I started, I decided I’d go 3 miles even if it took me 45 minutes. I made myself not watch the time and not watch my heart rate. I just ran. I did start adding .1 mph at each tenth of a mile. At the 2 mile mark, I was running at 6 mph. I dropped down to 3.5 mph for a couple minutes when I hit the 2 mile mental barrier but shortly I asked myself why I wasn’t pushing and before you know it I was back up to 5 mph, then 5.5, then 6. For the last minute, I finished at 7 mph. The whole time I focused on having fun and trying to make my stride smooth, with less bounce. Still, 3 miles at an average pace above 5 mph. If it sinks in, I might pass out.

Now, I need to stretch. In 6 months, I seem to have regained most if not all of my youthful flexibility and I might be surpassing it in some areas. I deserve a good rest tonight and I need it because spin class is tomorrow morning at 9:15 AM.