Sunday, April 09, 2006
Middle of the pack
I had a good running weekend. Saturday, I met with the marathon clinic for my weekly "long" run. I almost didn't go. It was cold and rainy. It was also my first chance to sleep in past 6:30a since Chloe was born. But if I am really going to run the marathon, I need to start building up some endurance. So, I forgoed the chance to sleep in, dragged my butt out of bed and headed to NW 23rd. At a distance of 5 miles, the run wasn't exactly long. But, it was the longest I've run since pre-Chloe, so I felt pretty good about that. The out and back route was up hill for the first 2.5 miles. It didn't feel as bad as I expected, and I had something left for the end.
Today, I ran the 5k event at Race for the Roses. It felt really good to be back out there, running in a race - my first running race in almost two years. I had forgotten how much fun it is to participate in race...all the people lining up, the countdown, announcing your name as you cross the finish, the medal (yes, medal for a 5k!)... These things can't be duplicated on training runs. Well, I could probably pay some neighborhood kid to countdown for me, and then to yell out my name as I finish my training runs, but I would look like an ass.
Anyway, I ran the 5k with my friend Mary. I was pretty happy with my time. The clock said 30:40 when I crossed the finish, but I am not sure what my actual time was, since I didn't wear a watch, and there was a delay in crossing the start. Anyway, it was somewhere around 30 minutes. So, about a 10 minute/mile pace. Count me as another mid-pack runner. Some things never change. Glad to see I haven't slowed down too much.
Today, I ran the 5k event at Race for the Roses. It felt really good to be back out there, running in a race - my first running race in almost two years. I had forgotten how much fun it is to participate in race...all the people lining up, the countdown, announcing your name as you cross the finish, the medal (yes, medal for a 5k!)... These things can't be duplicated on training runs. Well, I could probably pay some neighborhood kid to countdown for me, and then to yell out my name as I finish my training runs, but I would look like an ass.
Anyway, I ran the 5k with my friend Mary. I was pretty happy with my time. The clock said 30:40 when I crossed the finish, but I am not sure what my actual time was, since I didn't wear a watch, and there was a delay in crossing the start. Anyway, it was somewhere around 30 minutes. So, about a 10 minute/mile pace. Count me as another mid-pack runner. Some things never change. Glad to see I haven't slowed down too much.
