10K in 53:26

I really enjoyed the race in Salem. It was small and mellow which suited me perfectly. I was glad that our friend Steve was there to run the race too and to help me out as a newbie to this kind of thing.

I finished in 53:27 for an 8:37 pace and was really happy with my time. I felt well prepared in terms of strength, endurance, nutrition, and energy. All I was lacking was sleep. It was a good confidence builder going into the 1/2M. Five weeks...let the countdown begin!

Here are the results overall and by age group. (Looking at the results, it does not escape my attention that three of us in my age group were very close in time...this will spur me on to run a little better next time :-)

Steve and I pre-race...looking fresh.

Steve and I post-race!

3 days till 10K

Hey Ladies!

Just a quick post to say I am on track for the race Saturday! I had a breakthrough on Monday with six pain-free miles on the Huckleberry trail followed by five pretty good miles today. I can feel things are still tight, but improving. I played tennis Tuesday and Wednesday and am thinking there may be a connection between tennis and tightness, but if I can avoid the pain hopefully it will all work itself out and ultimately be healthier. I'm still treating it with "vitamin-I", ice, massage, stretching.

Not sure I am enjoying the carb-depleting of yesterday and today in preparation for tomorrow and Friday's carb-loading. I'm definitely a carb girl!!

It was great to play tennis with Sharon again today! It felt good out there and I had so much fun!!

Three month status report

It's been exactly three months since I made the choice to get health and fitness back in my life.

Goals reached:

• Able to run almost 10 miles (when injury-free) and can still do 4-5 with little difficulty.
• Lost 18 lbs and am at 131.8 - 12% reduction in body mass.
  
• Can swim a mile (32 laps) of freestyle in 37 minutes. Struggled to do about 4 laps when I began.
• Gained strength and muscle. Benched 80 lbs and can do two pull-ups.
• Learned about fitness and nutrition, stretching, running programs, dealing with injury, and the importance of rest and recovery (still working on that one!). I now know that my body doesn't need nearly as much food as I once thought and that if I am eating optimally, energy levels increase.

Goals for school year:

• Help my family eat better.
• Increase lean body mass and build muscle.
• Continue training for additional races.
• Bench 100 lbs and do 5 wide-grip pull-ups.
• Embrace core/ab work!
  
• Improve swimming technique and times (add in strokes).
  
• Maintain fitness routine through school year of 2-3x swimming, 3x running, and 3x gym, plus tennis.
• Monitor and adjust nutrition to maintain optimal weight.

• 

Carbo loading?

Steppin' Out is my favorite weekend. Do two Blue Moon beers at Boudreaux's count as "carbo-loading" as in a positive thing?????

Early morning

So I headed out in the dark at 6 am to run at the South Rec Fields. Got there and every light was on and one guy was out on a tractor spraying chemicals (what a waste of electricity...all those lights for one guy). So, I detoured to the VT track and had to squeeze between two locked gates to get in, but I got 4-1/2 miles in with just two episodes of leg spasms that actually dissipated within a few minutes. And I didn't finish in pain!! So, I think I can really do the 10K next week but it's not going to be as easy as it would have been three weeks ago. I'm just going to have to stay relaxed and not stress out and do what I can to finish. I have a tendency to hold back and run with shorter strides when I'm worried about my legs, but by restraining and going slower than my natural rhythm it actually takes more effort, so I just have to let it roll!

Steppin' Out this weekend!! Big fun! I need to keep my water bottle and healthy snacks with me to resist the bad stuff!