Coeur d'Alene 5K at Riverstone - Race Recap 5/29/11 (A PR!)

All last week the forecast for the weekend was cold temps with rain.  Somehow the outlook changed long about Friday and sun with milder temps was expected for our Sunday race day.  It was a bit cool in the morning, but the sun was shining!  Hallelujah!

Here I am with my parents before the race.

This was my very first event last year fresh off the Couch to 5K training plan when my mile pace was right around 12 minutes.  My goal last year had been merely to run the entire way without stopping to walk.  I reached that goal and finished in 36:27!!  I went into the race this year with a plan to beat my time from last year.  My unspoken goal was to finish in under 30 minutes.

I'm so proud to say that I DID IT!

Official race time: 29:34!!! 

Yes, that is my fastest 5K to date! 

I have to say that I felt awesome before, during and after this race.  I love this course because it's paved and basically flat.  It's held on the Centennial Trail which was made for biking, running, and walking activities, and is not subject to car exhaust, potholes, and the like.  Since it's an out and back course, it is awesome to see the winners making their way back.  Another plus is the amount of numb skulls who stop and walk without taking notice of who is behind them is minimal.   All in all, I would say that this might be my favorite race, and definitely my favorite race distance.

My Garmin was very helpful on this one, and of all the running gear I think I can't live without, Forrest is number one on the list.  I didn't want to make the mistake of starting too fast so I made sure to keep track of my pace in the beginning.  I absolutely love having the distance, pace and time easily accessible on my wrist.  I can see it becoming an obsession for some, but I use it as a tool not an obstacle.

Anyway, I keep watching the race site for race photos and they haven't been posted yet.  I hope to update this post later with an official photo.  The one below was taken by my husband.  I notice my form does not look all that great.  Oh well.



Heel strike, anyone?

After this, my second event of the season, I'm feeling pumped, although, for some reason I go through a case of the nerves in the days leading up the event.  So much so that I start feeling as though I don't even want to do it at all.  Luckily I push through the nerves and make it to the starting line.  I thought this one would be different because I'd done it once already, but nope, I still nearly chickened out.  The feeling goes away soon after the race gets underway, but it's definitely there at the beginning.  I'm already worrying about my half next month.  It's next month, people!!
What about you?  Do you get nervous before events?  How do you deal with it?

Stride Right

When I first started the Couch to 5K program, I had absolutely no idea how to run properly.  Even though I have always dreamed of becoming a runner, and even pretended to be one several times for short periods of time, I had never acheived a comfortable running stride.  Running always felt extremely difficult and I never stuck with it for this reason.  Last year was different in that I felt like I was literally running for my life.  I was going to lose weight and become a runner because the alternative was to coast through life in a horribly unhappy state.  It was time for me to make permanent changes.

When I began the C25K program I was worried about my past failures as a runner and decided that using a formal (proven) program to get started was the first step to success.  So I started the program, followed it to a T, and graduated some nine weeks later.  I can still remember those first runs, when a minute felt like too long, when at the end of the 25 minute run/walk session I felt like I might faint from exhaustion.  It was brutal and exhilarating.  I was scared and excited.  I looked forward to and dreaded each running session at the same time.  It was simply awesome!  And all the while I was running, I was saying to myself over and over heeltoe, heeltoe, heeltoe, and I was striking my foot in exactly that rhythm:  heel then toe.

At one point I told my husband this was how I got through the running intervals and he was like, "Um, you're not supposed to land on your heel, you're supposed to land on the middle of your foot or closer to your toe."  I looked at him like he was crazy.  Not possible, I thought.  You land like you do when you're walking only faster.  So I kept going.  I finished the program and I kept running.  Then I started having a lot of trouble with my leg and knee, problems that were caused by wearing the wrong shoe.  I read a lot about running stride and foot strike when I was reading about shoes.  So often I read about the benefits of a midfoot to forefoot strike as opposed to a heel stike.  Interesting, but food for though until after I get the shoe issue worked out, I thought.  Luckily I finally found the right (ugly) shoes sometime in late November.

It was in the latter part of December that I finally decided to start actively trying to change my running stride.  And then winter hit and it's been a long one.  I've been running less and less, both indoors and out, so it has taken awhile to notice any real positive change.  But I am finally noticing!!  A midfoot strike feels so much better on my body!  I have watched lots of running videos on YouTube and I know how I should move my body, legs, and feet.  I still have to concentrate on landing with my foot more parallel to the ground, and sometimes I forget what I'm doing and revert to the heel strike, but then I start feeling more fatigued and it isn't long before I remember what I'm supposed to do.  I know that if I keep practicing, I can successfully change my stride for the betterment of my running experience.  It's just a matter of relearning what I thought I knew and clearly did not.  Thank goodness for Google, YouTube, and running blogs!

Are you a midfoot, forefoot, or a heel striker?  Have you actively worked on changing your running stride and/or foot strike?  Why or why not?

Couch to 5k

I decided to start the Couch to 5k running program. I am not sure where I first heard of it or even where I last heard of it, but somehow I became their friend on Facebook and now I have completed week one of the program.

Unfortunately that was about 4 months ago.

Last September I bought myself a purple iPod Nano. I have wanted a purple Nano ever since they were introduced a couple years ago. I mean who wouldn’t want one, they are adorable! Anyway, after that purchase, I bought the Nike+ iPod system and Nike+ shoes. All this adds up to a cute package and absolutely no excuse not to start some kind of fitness program. And somehow this led me to the C25K program. What it consists of is nine weeks of training, three days a week, which slowly builds you up to being able to run a “5k or 30 minutes comfortably”.

I have always wanted to run. That diet and exercise plan I had back when I was 12? Running was my exercise of choice even then. For some reason, running always seems like the easiest, most convenient exercise on the planet. It takes almost no gear and you can do it anywhere. To me, a runner has always seemed like the epitome of good health.

So through the years I have run on treadmills, I have run through our neighborhood, and I have run on both outdoor and indoor tracks. Only a few times have I reached that “runner’s high” but at all times I have felt like I was doing what I should be doing for exercise. Even when it’s hard and I can barely breathe, I have loved it. But alas, I have not stuck with it, especially during the past 8 years or so.

I have not given up on my resolve to start and complete the C25K program. Since I have started to lose some weight and feel somewhat better, I am now adding activity. For the past two weeks, I have used my treadmill two times each week. This week I'm going for three. I am trying to condition myself and increase the speed a little each week so that I can feel confident enough to begin the program again fairly soon.

I have two goals. One is obvious: better health and hopefully more weight loss success. Regular exercise is supposed to help increase your metabolism and I need all the help I can get. The second goal is a bit more difficult to explain but what it boils down to is that I am a lazy ass; I hardly leave my house for anything but work, groceries, and taking my son to various events. And this has got to change! So I figure if I get into running and start doing those 5k (or more) runs, that will get me out of the house for a purpose. Not to spend money or eat, but to do something for me and my health. And with those things come benefits for my future and my family.

All good.