I got back into running several months ago after a hiatus that started in late 2009 when we found out I was pregnant. I tried to start running again several times after I had her but I'm one of those unlucky women who had excess joint laxity until my hormones started to stabilize. Then I was in grad school and life was just too insane for me to do anything.
I've never been a natural runner. I swam and rowed crew in high school, and rowed for a year in college. I had to run for crew and absolutely loathed it. There are several reasons why I didn't really enjoy running very much:
1) I'm slow.
2) I'm fat.
3) Did I mention I'm slow?
I ran the Rentschler Airfield 5K on Thursday evening. It was 90 degrees and humid with blazing sun for the first half of the race. That's less than ideal, especially considering that I did all of my running on a treadmill at the air conditioned YMCA. I hadn't run on the road since, um, 2009.
Things weren't atrocious. I went out and hit the first mile at around a 10 minute pace (my planned race pace was 11 minute miles). Then the sun/heat really hit on the second mile and I was around a 12:30 pace, and then I finished the 5K in 37:34 - a 12:06 average pace for the entire 3.1 mile distance. Not great but also not awful. I wasn't the slowest and I wasn't the slowest in my age group, either. For the last half of the race I was pretty much surrounded by other people including some folks who looked like much more serious runners - and we were all suffering with the heat.
A few things I've learned:
1) I need new shoes, badly. My New Balance 769s from 2009 are breaking down and no longer give me the support I need to run comfortably. Like I said, I'm no lightweight and I also tend to pronate - not a great combo on old shoes because it causes shin pain.
2) I need to start running outside now and then. This is really hard for me to do because of Mark's work schedule; he's not home until 7:15 and because of Lily I can't leave until he's here. I think I can swing one outside run per week with the others on the treadmill at the Y.
3) I need to improve my speed. I have the Jeff Galloway 5K app because I like how it adjusts the BPM of my music to suit my pace, and it has a program to improve one's time. I'm going to start it in hopes of getting faster.
4) I need to figure out what to do with my iPhone. I first tried it in the zipper pocket of my SparkleTech skirt but the buttons got touched and messed up my program. I ended up holding it for the rest of the race which was annoying. Maybe one of those armband things will work?
I addressed #1 today when I took Lily to Fleet Feet for a fitting. My last several pairs of shoes have been New Balance, but we decided to switch to Nike. I went for the Zoom Structure Triax+ 15. I ran on their treadmill with 6+ pairs of shoes and these were by far the most comfortable. I also picked up a pair of Balega socks. Going for a fitting with a toddler was a whole new experience which included my kid knocking over a display of Camelbak bottles - so embarrassing. She was pretty patient for a 2 year old, though.
I'm a sucker for punishment because I signed up for another 5K next Wednesday. I know I can do the distance and I get a tech shirt for being one of the first 500 to register, so why not? It's in the town where my parents live, so Lily will hang out with Grandma at the finish line. I hope to run faster this time or at least have a more even pace - we'll see. After this one, I have a 5K scheduled for late August and another in mid-October. Mark and I have signed up for the Warrior Dash in September so I need to start some strength training to get ready for that.
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