Joyful Running

I've registered for this one day workshop in Estes Park. It's called Joyful Running and "is for runners over 40 who would like to learn how to be able to sustain their active passions for the rest of their lives." I'm really looking forward to it! I'll be attending with a running friend from work. I'm hoping to learn how to fit running into my work schedule. Between a 40 hours per week, Monday through Friday job, and my fitness boot camp for one hour three days a week (MWF), I hardly have time to get good runs in. I'm usually exhausted from boot camp and don't run until Sunday, which is my long day. The hubby and I are making a habit of walking about 5 miles on one weekend day (to Starbucks and back) which I like to use as a rest day. That works out just fine. It's squeezing in one or two more maintenance runs in during the week that has been hard. My office is right next to a bike path so I don't really have an excuse about location. It's just the time to break away. And the treadmill is getting old now that the weather is getting warm. So, I have less motivation to get up in the morning before work to run for 30 minutes. And it's too late to run when I get home. So, I'm hoping to learn some time management tips for runners at this workshop. 

I'm also looking forward to being away for a day in one of my favorite towns in Colorado. My first half marathon goal is to run the Estes Park half. So, this will also be a nice test to see how I fare running at that altitude. It's higher than Denver and Boulder. I've read that if you get there and run within 24 hours, you should be ok. So, we'll see. There is a group run at the end of the workshop. :-)

Frozen Foot 5K

I did it!!  Woo hoo!! This was my first real race with intention. My goal was to finish in the top half of my age group and I did it!! And managed my fastest 5K time to date. :-)  Yay!!  And how did it compare to my first 5K, which was on the same course (more or less)? The Water Buffalo Stampede I finished in 42:01. My last official 5K was in January, the Yeti Chase, which I finished in 36:35. Today's official finishing time? 32:28!! I'm so excited!

This week I'd almost psyched myself out with doubts for this race. I'd gotten it into my head that I could finish in less than 32 minutes. And then, I had my mile time trial at boot camp which was much slower than my previous time trial. That had me down. But, I came back around and realized I was just supposed to have fun and do my best.

I started out pretty fast. I was trying to get ahead of some of the "slower" runners. (Ha! I'm still a slower runner myself.) I wanted to try to push myself to see how well I could do. So, I started out fast - for me. And then, as expected, my legs got tired. I took a couple of walk breaks. The course wasn't marked for distance and there wasn't an aid station like I thought there would be. I thought I'd read there would be one at the halfway mark so I was looking for it. When I didn't see it, I started to think I was going to be in trouble because it was going to be my guide for my pace. So, then I was confused about how far I'd gone and didn't know when to start kicking for the end.  On my last walk break, one of the route marshals gave me a thumbs up and said, "You've got less than a mile to go and it's all downhill!" Woo hoo!! Those were the best words I'd heard all day! So, I kicked it but only a little so I'd have enough left for the finish. When I hit the final chute, I started to sprint. It felt awesome!

32:28

Woo hoo!!

Frozen Foot 5K vs. Water Buffalo Stampede

my Water Buffalo Stampede - 5K results

The above link will take you to my official results from last year's Water Buffalo Stampede. It was my first race ever and my first 5K. Tomorrow is the Frozen Foot 5K which runs a similar if not the same route. I am very interested to see how much I've improved. Last year was also the 1st Water Buffalo Stampede. This year they are running it again. http://www.colorado.edu/StudentGroups/swimdive/stampede.html Maybe I should run it again too. Then I'd have a better feel for my improvement. We'll see how tomorrow goes. At last year's 5K I finished 10 of 11 in my age group. My goal is to finish in the top half of my age group. It really just depends on who shows up. :-)

Stay tuned.... :-)

Doubts

Sunday is the Frozen Foot 5K. My original goal for this run was to finish in the top half of my age group. But, then I started thinking I could do more than just that. I wanted to finish in a certain time. I wanted to finish under 32 minutes. I don't know where that idea came from. I think I started feeling pretty good one day and my mind just started filling with possibilities.  Not that a sub-32 minute 5K is totally out of the box for me. It's just that my training has fallen off a bit lately. I think I came to the sub-32 minute goal too late. So, now, I am filled with doubt about how I will finish on Sunday.

I've never really set time goals for myself, aside from the Vegas half marathon, which was to finish in less than the four hour cut off time. I don't think my training, if you can even call it that, is focused enough to set lofty goals. Mostly I just want to enjoy the event and maybe win something in the raffle at the end. So, I'm trying not to stress myself out for Sunday. I think if it snows a little during the run that will help to relax me. It's a fun run and a fund raiser so, no pressure. Just get out there and push a little and see what happens. That's what I need to do.

I didn't run today. Monday was test day at boot camp. My mile time was slower than at the beginning of the session. 5 weeks ago I ran my fastest mile which was 9:36. Monday I finished in 10:05. That's really where my doubts began... I also have to remember my ultimate goal is the Estes Park Half. So, these fun runs are just to keep me honest and keep me on track. So, why do I feel so crummy about it?

Boost Your Endurance in 7 Simple Steps | Active.com

Great article!

Boost Your Endurance in 7 Simple Steps | Active.com

Treadmill

When I decided last year (?) to start running and to train for a half marathon, I bought a treadmill at Kmart. (I think it was Kmart but the hubby thinks it was Big 5.) It's a Weslo Cadence 25 and I'm pretty sure we didn't spend more than $200 on it. Maybe it was $150. We didn't want to spend much on it. I really wasn't sure I'd use it much but had good intentions, so spending as little as we could was more important than getting a good quality machine. I've used it quite a bit, and have certainly gotten my money's worth. It works very well considering how cheap it was. It has 4 built in workouts. I've used a couple of them a few times. There are no bells and whistles - no iPod plug in, no fan, no heart rate monitor, no built in tv. It also has a manual incline. That's really the only drawback that I've found. As I train for the Estes Park Half, I wonder if I should upgrade to something with an auto incline to help me train for the hills.

The race isn't until June 12th. That's plenty of time to train outside after the snow stops flying and the temperatures increase. So, I'm not too worried about that. I just like to shop and a new treadmill would be really nice. Of course, it wouldn't have to be brand new. I've seen a couple on Craig's List that are near new and less than $300. That might be something to consider.

Maybe it's the weather that is making me think about this. I'm working from home today due to the snow and ice on the roads. And I need to run 3 miles today. Even running on the indoor track doesn't give me any hill workouts. But, there is also outdoor boot camp coming up in about 5 weeks. We do plenty of hill workouts in the outdoor camp.

Ok. I guess I don't really need a new treadmill. The one I have is good for maintenance mode. And is also good for walking. And it does have two cup holders. :-)

[edit]

Here is the current view from my treadmill, updated since this post...

And a close up view of the map on the wall...

Outlined in green is the route for the 2011 Estes Park Half. :-)

5K News

Sunday, I ran about 4 miles in 42:37 on the indoor track at the rec center. I just realized that I completed my very first 5K, back in March 2010, in 42:01. Wow! No wonder I felt so happy about that time. That is amazing to me that I have improved so much. I feel quite proud of myself for that. So, if my calculations are correct, my 10:22 pace would have given me about a 32 minute 5K which would have bettered my first time by 10 whole minutes! I am so psyched now for the Frozen Foot 5K! I just registered for it yesterday. It's on campus at CU so will be flat and fast, they say. I've also read that if it's cold out you tend to run faster. That first 5K was also on campus at CU and I'm pretty sure it's the same exact route. So, this will be a good test to truly see how far I've come in this year. I can't wait!

I debated about registering for it because I'm supposed to get in a 5 mile long run that day per my training schedule. But, that schedule is not accurate any more. I'd set it up to train me for the Colfax run in May but now I'm actually training for the Estes Park Half in June. The Colfax run is a relay and I'll put in a 6 mile leg that day. So, it's more training leading up to my ultimate goal of finishing the Estes Park Half. So, extending my 5 mile run to the next week won't do me in. The 5K will be a nice confidence booster. My goal for the Frozen Foot is to finish in the top half of my age group. It's good to have goals. :-)

Rec Center Indoor Track

Today a couple of friends and I planned to meet at the Wheat Ridge rec center to get a run in. We planned to meet at 9am and to run about 4 miles. The track is measured at 10.4 laps per mile, so about 40 laps was our goal. I've run once on the indoor track at the Y where my boot camp has indoor classes. That track is 16 laps per mile. It was very difficult to keep track of the number of laps I was running so I didn't feel very confident that I'd be able to manage today either. However, that turned out to be the least of my worries. Turns out, the rec center doesn't open until 10am on Sundays. That and the foot of snow (ok, maybe it was just 6 inches) I had to shovel off my car, made for a difficult morning. One friend over slept so wasn't going to meet us there. The other was still on. I thought I was going to be late so I text her to let her know. I ended up getting there early some how and was quite excited to see an empty parking lot. I thought folks had decided to sleep in with all the snow and we'd have the place to ourselves. But, no, it was closed. I text my friend to let her know but it turns out she left her phone at home so didn't get my messages.

By the time I got home I felt like I'd lost my mojo. But, when my friend finally got home, after waiting for me because I told her I was going to be late, I rallied. I decided to go back out at 10am. She thought that was a good idea. I'd be able to check out the rec center since we hadn't been there before. That seemed like a good plan.

This rec center is very close to my house. The track has three lanes, one for walkers, joggers and runners. Even though the lanes are color coded, people still can't seem to pay attention to those simple rules. Oh well, it wasn't crowded so it wasn't too bad. And aside from the random person walking in the wrong direction, there weren't any mishaps. The weight room is also upstairs, along with elliptical machines, treadmills, cycling machines and rowing machines. The work out machines were pretty fully occupied the whole time I was running on the track. There are restrooms upstairs and water fountains, which were very cold and very conveniently located. Strategically located in the corners of the track were smaller work out stations. And along one long side of the track was one rowing machine, elliptical, and cycling machine. And across from that area was a place with some mats where folks were doing sit ups and stretching. Also, across from the weight area was another area with fit balls, mats, and aerobic steps.

I was able to easily count my laps by using my current lap number as a sort of mantra. I tried to use my iMapMyFitness app to keep track of my mileage but it has a hard time keeping track in such a small area. I'll have to find a pedometer app maybe. My fall back was going to be to just run for an hour and call it good. But, by using the mantra and also having an even number of laps to remember, it was pretty easy.

I ran for 40 laps plus one cool down lap to be pretty close to 4 miles. The track is really comfortable. It doesn't bank as much as the one at the Y which was nice. The surface is not too soft and not too hard and has good grip. There is also a very flattering mirror at one end which was nice to be able to see who was behind me. I stopped at the water fountain every ten laps. It was so nice not to have to run with the water bottle. I finished my 40 laps in 41:37. I was pretty happy with that!

All in all it was a good day. I'm glad I went back out and got a good run in. I was so not going to get on the treadmill. Yep, a good day. :-)