Getting Ready for the 10 Miler...gulp!!

Well, here I go. On to my first 10 mile race. My oh my, what have I done? Yikes! Six, maybe eight, but ten? Yikes and double yikes!!

My first 10k was awesome...the things I learned...Fartlek works!!

It was a beautiful spring morning, St. Patricks Day, Saturday, March 17th. It is my first 10k race. I always like to start my races from the back of the pack. I don't like crowds. This race had 7500 participants. It took 12 minutes to get to the starting line. You can tell this by looking at the difference of times between the clock time, which begins when the gun goes off and the chip time, which is the time my chip crossed the starting gate. That was one thing I learned.

The next thing I learned was about half way through the run my left hip and left foot began to hurt a lot. I realized I was running on the same side of the road. Roads are sloped and so I switched tot the left sides of the road for the rest of the run. I felt instant relief.

Note to self: run on both sides of the road, equally!!!

This was the first time I ran 4 minutes and walked 1 minute. Yeah!! I feel myself getting stronger and my recovery is really great. What a huge difference this Fartlek training/race running, for me, works extremely well...smile

My First Below Freezing Run, I was covered in Frost!!

I ran my first run with the Triple Crown Running Club last Saturday morning.  This first run was 4 miles long in below freezing weather.  We began running at the firehouse behind the McDonald's in Crestwood, Kentucky. 

It turned out to be a fabulous day.  We started out at 7:30 and ran on a fairly flat road.  The only real danger was some black ice.  I was totally comfortable, although I was covered in frost by the end.  I didn't have frost bite on my fingers or toes.  As a matter of fact, I had to remove my gloves because I was so hot.  My body sweats a lot and I guess that's what caused all the frost on my hair and clothing.  There were several runners out that morning, besides our club, and everyone turned to look at me as they passed me.

I am not a fast runner, but, I am training more and am getting a little faster.

This is my list of items to wear in a really cold run:

1.  Hand warmers.  I got mine at Costco.  You open them and shake them and they get warm.  I place them inside my gloves and put extras in my pockets. 

2.  Heavier gloves.  I don't like mittens, my hands sweat too much in mittens.  But, gloves with hand warmers to start out are just right for me. 

3.  Scarf.  I wear it around my neck until about 2 miles then I take it off.

4.  Layer wicking clothing.  I like a wicking Specialized undershirt, then long sleeve Saucony shirt then my blue fleece Old Navy shirt.  This is for below zero running. 

5.  My reflector utility belt.  I like to listen to my music, and safety is a concern.  So I like to carry my iPhone with my head phones on the front middle of my utility belt.  I don't like it on my arm or in my pocket.  Running is all about balancing the items I have on.  Also, after about a mile or 2, I begin to take my gloves and scarf off.  I like to hang them on my utility belt. 

6.  Sham Wow headband.  I sweat a lot.  I thought, what's the most absorbent material out there, and the Sham Wow came to mind.  So, I make my own head bands.  They are pretty wide for covering my ears. 

There you have it.  My recipe for coverage that includes as few items as I need when I run. 

My First 5K! In Louisville, Ky

Thanks to my niece, Kyleigh Brewer, I am now interested in 5K's.  What a lovely way to spend a weekend morning.

I like to carry my wrist purse.  It contains, Kleenex, sunglasses, phone, small bottle of water.  It is large enough to put my gloves or headband in if I get too warm.  I might carry hand warmers in January in it.  That's me in the white Tshirt on the left side.  I like to jog, it's a little faster than a walk, but not much. I'm just happy to be healthy enough to participate at my age. 

This is the finish line.  My husband took this picture.  I had actually passed it about 15 minutes before he took this picture.  I have increased my jogging speed since my triathlon.  In September I jogged 2 miles in 45 minutes.  For this 5K, I jogged 3.1 miles in 47 minutes. Ha!