Cross that off my bucket list!!!

Today I ran my first official 5k race.  It was the NCMC Turkey Trot in Greeley, CO.  I had my personal best time of 37:11!!! Yay me!  The temp at the start of the race was a balmy 15 degrees!!

Getting ready for my first official 5k...

Today I ran 3.51 miles in 48 minutes.  Not bad considering I hadn't run 5k since October 21.  Actually, I haven't been running nearly as much this fall/winter as I did this summer.  But, yay, I can still do it.  It made me feel much better about the fact that I entered my first official 5k which will be run on Thanksgiving Day...

Just the facts...

17 minutes, speed 4.2, 1.06 miles...

Took a break

Due to circumstances beyond my control I took a break from running for a week...wow!! Yesterday was sooo hard!  But I did it and I ran again this morning.  Much easier!  Both days I ran 15 minutes...yesterday at speed 4.4 and today at speed 4.

Happy 45th Birthday to me!!

I woke up this morning planning to run 15 minutes on the treadmill again but after I went outside and saw how gorgeous it was I decided to give myself a birthday gift and run 3.1 (5k) miles! What a nice run. It was awesome!

Still running...

I decided to change things up a bit this week. I am running every day (Tue - Fri) for 15 minutes. I am going to try to run 5k on Saturday morning if the weather is nice. I am learning I do not like running on the treadmill!!

I love running in the mornings...

I ran outside today. I thoroughly enjoyed the sunshine! Two miles in 24 minutes!!!

Glad I ran...

I struggled with whether or not to run this morning. It was only 42 degrees out and I wasn't sure if I wanted to run in the cool weather. But I am glad I went ahead and ran. I ran a total of 3.29 miles in 41 minutes! I think that is a personal best! My 5k time was aprox 39 minutes...definitely a personal best!!

Today...I like running...

Today was a good day! I felt good while I was running and I was able to run 2 miles in 30 minutes and 30 seconds! I started out at 4.2 on the treadmill for the first mile then slowed it down to 3.6 for the rest except for a push at the end to get to 2 miles. Go me!

Learning a Lesson

Yesterday I learned a valuable lesson while I was running: Don't run with out a plan! I started out on the treadmill knowing I was going to run but not really thinking about how fast or far I wanted to run. About 13 minutes into my run I wanted to QUIT bigtime! I did manage to push through and finish 30 minutes and almost 2 miles but it was HARD. Lesson learned, next time I will have a plan.

I love running in the fall!

What a gorgeous day out today!  I ran 2.9 miles in about 40 minutes.  It was hard at first but then I hit my stride and felt like I could have gone on for quite a while longer.  I was at the end of my route though so I didn't run more.  I was bummed that I didn't hit the 2 mile mark but that's ok, there's always next time!!

2 miles = 30 minutes!!

Wow! I met one of my running goals this morning!  I ran 2 miles in 30 minutes!  This past Tuesday I was able to run one mile in 15 minutes and the other 15 minutes I ran just short of a mile.  I am happy I was able to push through and make that second mile in 15 minutes today!!! Now I will try to make 2 miles in 30 minutes for the next week or so then on to adding more distance to my 30 minute runs!! Maybe by the end of the winter I will be running 3 miles in 30 minutes!! A 10 minute mile, wouldn't that be something!!

15 minute mile!

Today I met one of my goals and was able to run a 15 minute mile!  Go me!!  All together I ran 1.88 miles in 30 minutes.  It felt good to finish! :-)  Now on to my goal of being able to run 2 miles in 30 minutes.

Running Uphill...

Today I ran outside and instead of taking my usual flat route I chose a route with some elevation change (read: hills!).  I managed to survive! I ran 2.5 miles but I don't know how long it took me because I forgot to mark my time when I started.  Drat!  Oh well, guess that means I will have to run that route agian next weekend so I can get an idea of my time.

Improving...

Today was one of those "tough" running days. The first part of my run I just wanted to quit but I kept up the self talk (yes, yelling at myself at times) and pushed through. I managed to run for 22 minutes at speed 4.1 for a distance of 1.5 miles. Then I finished up the remaining 8 minutes at speet 3.4 for a grand total of 1.95 miles. I was bummed though because had I noticed I was so close to two miles I would have gutted it out and ran the last .05 of a mile to complete two miles! Oh well...I am improving!!

Squeezing in a run...

I didn't have much time today to run but I did manage to squeeze in 30 minutes this morning. I ran 12 minutes at speed 4 then dropped to speed 3 for about 3 minutes and upped the hill setting. After running up a hill for a bit I jogged at speed 3 again for a bit then up to speed 4 for two minutes and finished out at speed 3. All in all a pretty good work out :-)

Getting easier....

Today I ran 5k in 41 minutes!! The main thing I noticed while I was running today is that I didn't get the feeling that I was going to die during the first 5 minutes of my run.  Up till now it has taken extreme will power to push through the first 5 to 8 minutes of my run.  Today it was, dare I say it, easy!  I think my 30 minute runs twice a week at speed 4 on the treadmill are definitely helping with my stamina!  Yay!

The Daily Grind

I can see now why people keep setting longer and longer distances as goals when they are running.  It is HARD to keep going week after week when your only goal is to finish the same thing you did last time you ran.  I am going to have to find a way to motivate myself through this school year because I can't spend the time needed to run longer distances. 

Today I ran for 30 minutes (twenty-three at speed 4 on the treadmill, six at speed three and the last minute back at speed four) for a distance of 1.87 miles.

Tuesday headache...

This morning I woke up to a headache.  I really didn't want to run but I forced myself onto the treadmill.  I am so glad I did!  Who knew running could be a cure for a headache?!  I feel much better now.  I ran 30 minutes, 20 of those were at speed 4 and the rest were at about 3.6.  I ran a total of 1.85 miles in those 30 minutes.

All I can say is "Wow"!

Today I set out to run outdoors on a beautiful fall morning in NW Colorado.  Blue skies, cool temps and a slight breeze.  Perfect!  I made sure to note the time as I started to run because last Saturday I was disappointed that I didn't have an accurate count for the length of time I had run.  As I was running I realized that it was feeling very easy (at least after the first 5 minutes which are always the hardest for me).  I ran and ran with no real shortness of breath or breathing problems to speak of.  When it was all said and done I was surprised to find I had run 3.56 MILES in 46 MINUTES!!!! WOW!! That is the farthest I've run to this point!  Needless to say I was proud of myself!  Running brings such a sense of empowerment for me!  If I can do that I can do ANYTHING!

A basic question...

Why is it that on a day I am not running all I want to do is run but when I'm in the middle of a long run all I want to do is stop?!?

It's all about the breathing...

Breathing during my run today was tough.  I kept getting what I call "breathing spasms" They lasted until I was about 3/4ths of the way through my run.  I ran on the treadmill 32.5 minutes today for a distance of 2 miles.

How I got hooked on running...

I decided to start this blog mostly for myself.  If it provides inspiration for others then that is an added benifit!  I started running in June of 2010.  I had been walking regularly with a friend and one day, out of the blue, she suggested running.  We started with Cool Running's,  Couch to 5k plan (http://www.c25k.com/).

I had never ever considered myself a runner or even all that athletic before I started the plan.  I'd like to say I was hooked from day one but realisticly it was probably about week 6 or 7 when I realized I was enjoying running.

Since finishing C25k I have been running 3 times a week.  Tuesdays and Thursdays I run on my treadmill and on Saturdays I run outside.  The farthest I have run is 5k (3.1 miles) and I have only done that one time.  It took me about 45 minutes to run that far.  Since school has started I don't have that much time so I have been running aprox 30 minutes and working on getting my speed up.

My blogs may be boring from here on out, they will mostly be a record of my distance, speed, how I felt and what my thoughts were about each run.  But, like I said, this blog is mostly to motivate myself on this journey.  :-)