Back At It

Today was my first race (other than the warrior dash) in almost a year, and man did it feel like it. I have been running 5 miles most Saturdays lately, but not so good about keeping up with my weekday runs. While my Saturday runs have been virtually pain free, I was not so lucky today.

Mile 0-1.5 pretty extreme shin splints. I tried to run through them, but had to stop and stretch a few times. Not sure what the "right" protocol is for dealing with shin splints mid run. Walking didn't really make much of a difference, so I decided to run when I could.

Mile 1.5-3 I started noticing the pain less and less. I was busy waving at and greeting all the workers/volunteers that I passed, listening to my music, calculating and recalculating my pace, and generally trying to distract myself. It worked!

As I creeped up to the halfway turn around point, I was running a pretty solid 14:15-14:30 minute mile pace. I had a little crew of runners that had developed near me with a similar pace. I felt like we were probably the back of the pack, but it turned out I was quite wrong. After turning around I was able to see the many walkers and joggers working their way along. I cheered for them as I passed, letting them know they were close to the halfway point. I love when other runners encourage me, and I always try to repay the favor.

The lake view I ran past miles 2 and 5ish.

Something switched on for miles 3-6.2. I got into a grove! I ran the whole 3.2 miles without any walking breaks, keeping that same 14:15ish pace. The second half was more uphill, but the hilly course and running club makes this one feel like a piece of cake. I passed a few people on my way up those last few hills, and trudged along to finish at 1:29:11.



Far from my best 10k time, in fact 10 minutes my worst. But I still felt accomplished at the end. I was proud that I worked through the painful first couple miles, and kept going strong in the end. I was proud at how well I mastered those hills, and kept a very constant pace throughout.

This race created a little perspective for me about how important it is to take control of my training. The extra weight, and lack of training make a big, painful, difference for my running.

I think my next races/goals will be lower mileage, sticking to the 5k and 10k distances for a little while. I think it will be important for me to get a solid grip on my speed and strength before I push forward with more mileage.

I also had an fun opportunity to meet a fellow WW boardie at the run today! Tracy aka Tmiller2728 whose blog can be found at: runningaroundthebucket.blogspot.com