I finally decided I’m going to run a 5K. I’m going to stop talking about, pre-register, and actually do it. I can’t tell you how many races I “was supposed to” run before, until deciding at the last minute I was too out of shape or not training far enough in advance to be able to run.
That’s why I’m going to whip out the Visa, cough up the $30, and stop making excuses. I’m pre-registering for the Gainesville Beer Run 5K on September 28th.
What made me so motivated to run in this race? Well, there’s beer involved, for starters. Microbrews, to be specific. And if that doesn’t get me all revved up to get off my butt and start working hard, then I don’t know what will. Plus, I feel like it will be a fun, low-pressure race with a lot of like-minded people. It’s also at 6pm, which is my prime workout/ exercise time and doesn’t involve me waking up at the crack of dawn on the weekend. And did I mention that everyone receives a commemorative beer mug, an awesome shirt and free craft beer at Gainesville’s own House of Beer? Sign me up!
Yesterday I began my official first day of training, and running outside in Florida in the summer, is no joke! I’ve already mentioned that I have a harder time running on a treadmill than I do outdoors, so I figured I could easily knock out a few miles after work, but I greatly overestimated my endurance. It had rained earlier in the afternoon, so I was hoping it would’ve cooled off a little. Nope. Instead, it was muggy, humid, and sticky at about 90º. I came home after my run beet red, sweating bullets, and mixed with feelings of accomplishment and disappointment.
Aside from my post-workout glow, I was upset that I had given in after only 2 miles and that my second mile was such a lousy one. What’s odd is my legs and body don’t get tired, but I get really hot and winded quickly, and my heart starts to get exhausted. So I listened to my body, despite wanting to keep going. On a positive note, I ran my fastest mile ever at 9:23!
I know these numbers are hardly impressive, but I feel great that this is the best shape I’ve been in since high school. 8-minute mile, you are within my reach!
*I use MapMyRun on my iPhone to chart my runs. It’s free and it gives me all the info I need, like what my pace is at every single point of my run, pace time and helps me figure out where I can improve. You can also log your diet and other workouts you complete.*
Besides training for this run, I still plan to continue with my Insanity workouts. I kind of dropped the ball on those last week, so I picked up Wednesday with an intense plyo cardio workout and I’m going to build running into my schedule. Insanity gives you Thursdays to do a Cardio Recovery video and Sundays off. Instead of taking those days to relax, I’m going to try to run for 30 minutes, or do 3 interval miles, whichever is longest. I’m going to implement some of the Couch-to-5k Running Plan to build up my endurance, and when it’s too hot, I’ll train on the treadmill.
Here’s a glimpse of the Couch-to-5k Treadmill Plan if you prefer to run indoors or if you’re stuck in the Florida heat like I am:
I’ll probably start off with week 2 or 3 right away, which leaves me the perfect amount of time to be ready for my September race. See the full Couch to 5k Treadmill Plan here.
I’m wondering…
What tips do you have for someone running their first race? How do you motivate yourself to keep running when you’re ready to give up?
