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A year ago at this time I was limping around badly on a then unknown broken ankle. So I didn't start off 2007 running with both feet on the ground.<br><br>
I healed, began walking, started running again on April 21st and set about to my resolution of running to be healthy and staying injury free.<br><br>
Tempted to run more? Hold on there, <b>Scratch</b>, let's be careful about the miles and how much pounding the bones take. Tempted to run faster? Again, hold on, there will be times to run a bit harder and a bit faster but let's just get the legs in shape to handle running.<br><br>
May 5th, I did run a 5K. Mostly. I had to walk a bit in the 3rd mile and it took me 37:37. That was a bit scary, the course was flat but the fact that I had only been walking around for 2.5 months made for some trepidation. The ankle did okay, I did fine and I kept running. I ran my way through another 7 5Ks prior to today, 2 10Ks, and a half-marathon. I think I've got a better handle on this running thing, on running with proper caution and management to stay injury free. But always be careful about overconfidence. Heck, my schedule for the next 4 or 5 weeks will consist almost entirely of low heart rate running.<br><br>
But today, well, let's go for it. Let's run, run hard at a 5K and see what happens.<br><br>
Safe safe goal: under 28 minutes like my last 5K.<br><br>
Safe goal: beat last 5K time of 27:49.<br><br>
Hard goal: beat 27 minutes.<br><br>
Looked like there was a big turnout today, the weather was good. Overcast and cool, not cold. The start was jumbled, it felt some like a lot of slower people started up too far up and I spent much of the first quarter mile dodging and weaving through those.<br><br>
The first mile was a lot of downhill, pretty sweet for feeling a bit speedy (hey, when you're slow like me you like it when it sometimes feels like you're running fast). I began looking for where I-95 would be on a bridge up over my head and where the first mile marker should be. There it came and I reached it in 8:14, the fastest mile I've ever seen out of my legs.<br><br>
Then it started getting tough. Most of the second mile was uphill and I worked at trying to maintain a strong feeling. It felt harsh, my legs felt abysmally slow but at least I was running and I kept at it. It felt like mile 2 was never going to show up. Finally after reaching the apex and getting to some downhill back towards mile 3 and the finish, there it was. It had taken me 9:36 to do the second mile but at least now it would be mostly downhill again.<br><br>
I tried to keep up with a guy who had passed me on the up during mile 2. For a long time that's the way it went with me slowly inching my way up closer to him. It was hurting even going downhill but I was happy about that because I knew I was giving a good effort.<br><br>
Then came the biggest surprise of the race. All of a sudden I hear my name being called and I look out to the left where <b>Theia</b> and <b>Haudet</b> had come out. Fan club. <img alt="banana.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/banana.gif"><br><br>
Some point in here, I doesn't always keep track well of these things, but I did pass that guy in the gray top. It took 8:32 to cover mile 3, which happens to be the second fastest mile of all time for me. I tried to give some kick to the finish, but it was tough and I could see the race clock tick over 27 minutes. 50 seconds to run the last .1 miles and a finish time on my watch of 27:12.<br><br>
Thus concludes my 8 months of injury free running to 2007. 555 miles, 12 races, a 10 minute and 25 second improvement in 5K time since May 5th.<br><br>
It was a real pleasure getting to talk to those 2 crazy 30s women after it was done. I do so much of my running on my own and alone, it makes for a bit of pleasant surprise to get to have a bit of friendly talk. Thank you, <b>Alexis</b> and <b>Heather</b>. See you next year.<br><br>
Good running, good races to all.<img alt="banana.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/banana.gif">
I healed, began walking, started running again on April 21st and set about to my resolution of running to be healthy and staying injury free.<br><br>
Tempted to run more? Hold on there, <b>Scratch</b>, let's be careful about the miles and how much pounding the bones take. Tempted to run faster? Again, hold on, there will be times to run a bit harder and a bit faster but let's just get the legs in shape to handle running.<br><br>
May 5th, I did run a 5K. Mostly. I had to walk a bit in the 3rd mile and it took me 37:37. That was a bit scary, the course was flat but the fact that I had only been walking around for 2.5 months made for some trepidation. The ankle did okay, I did fine and I kept running. I ran my way through another 7 5Ks prior to today, 2 10Ks, and a half-marathon. I think I've got a better handle on this running thing, on running with proper caution and management to stay injury free. But always be careful about overconfidence. Heck, my schedule for the next 4 or 5 weeks will consist almost entirely of low heart rate running.<br><br>
But today, well, let's go for it. Let's run, run hard at a 5K and see what happens.<br><br>
Safe safe goal: under 28 minutes like my last 5K.<br><br>
Safe goal: beat last 5K time of 27:49.<br><br>
Hard goal: beat 27 minutes.<br><br>
Looked like there was a big turnout today, the weather was good. Overcast and cool, not cold. The start was jumbled, it felt some like a lot of slower people started up too far up and I spent much of the first quarter mile dodging and weaving through those.<br><br>
The first mile was a lot of downhill, pretty sweet for feeling a bit speedy (hey, when you're slow like me you like it when it sometimes feels like you're running fast). I began looking for where I-95 would be on a bridge up over my head and where the first mile marker should be. There it came and I reached it in 8:14, the fastest mile I've ever seen out of my legs.<br><br>
Then it started getting tough. Most of the second mile was uphill and I worked at trying to maintain a strong feeling. It felt harsh, my legs felt abysmally slow but at least I was running and I kept at it. It felt like mile 2 was never going to show up. Finally after reaching the apex and getting to some downhill back towards mile 3 and the finish, there it was. It had taken me 9:36 to do the second mile but at least now it would be mostly downhill again.<br><br>
I tried to keep up with a guy who had passed me on the up during mile 2. For a long time that's the way it went with me slowly inching my way up closer to him. It was hurting even going downhill but I was happy about that because I knew I was giving a good effort.<br><br>
Then came the biggest surprise of the race. All of a sudden I hear my name being called and I look out to the left where <b>Theia</b> and <b>Haudet</b> had come out. Fan club. <img alt="banana.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/banana.gif"><br><br>
Some point in here, I doesn't always keep track well of these things, but I did pass that guy in the gray top. It took 8:32 to cover mile 3, which happens to be the second fastest mile of all time for me. I tried to give some kick to the finish, but it was tough and I could see the race clock tick over 27 minutes. 50 seconds to run the last .1 miles and a finish time on my watch of 27:12.<br><br>
Thus concludes my 8 months of injury free running to 2007. 555 miles, 12 races, a 10 minute and 25 second improvement in 5K time since May 5th.<br><br>
It was a real pleasure getting to talk to those 2 crazy 30s women after it was done. I do so much of my running on my own and alone, it makes for a bit of pleasant surprise to get to have a bit of friendly talk. Thank you, <b>Alexis</b> and <b>Heather</b>. See you next year.<br><br>
Good running, good races to all.<img alt="banana.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/banana.gif">
