May 2017 Running Challenge

@WhatMeRunning Wow, I'd love it if somebody else would pay for my race fees and part of the travel. With an offer like that, you just HAD to sign up!

@MNLittleFinn 20miles, awesome!

@wishiwasarunner Congratulations on your new half marathon PR

@kgirlhart For me, it depends on the race. For a short race I would be fine without, for a longer one I prefer to have music. Unless there is enough entertainment around - I ran a 20k in April that was entirely inside a city, with lots of spectators and live bands or DJs every few kilometers, for that one I didn't take my headphones. I've done other half marathons were long stretches of the course are outside the city, where I might end up running for half an hour along a road with no more distractions than a few runners a ways in front of me, those times I was glad for he distraction. But make sure you turn it up so loud that you can't hear a car or another runner behind you - I've seen people do that, it's never a good idea...

@skippygirlsmom Sounds like Skip and you both had a great race day today!

@katiejane83 I like virtual races that are accompanied by some kind of story or event, that makes it feel more like a "real" race to me. I did three of the zombies run virtual races and liked them a lot.
The Wings for Life World Run has a virtual option as well - but this years event is already tomorrow, so your friend would have to sign up fast
I'm thinking about doing the Celeb Chase next - 30GBP isn't cheap for a vitrual race, but you get a shirt and a medal, and 22GBP of the entry fee go to a charity.

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Alright, so I've been good and only did a bit of yoga and cycling this week, but not a single run since Monday! Except for really short things like running from the car to the house to get out of the rain. I think while my left knee might not be 100% "good as new", it's still a lot better than a week ago. With some KT tape and a bit of caution, I hope it'll be fine tomorrow. I'm not going to do anything stupid like taking pain killers before the race - in case it hurts too much, I'll just have to take a bus or cab back to the car... I already packed some emergency money, but I really hope I won't need it!
This afternoon I went to the marathon expo to collecte my bib, and bought a new light running jacket. I know you aren't supposed to wear anything new on race day, but the zipper of my old jacket broke two weeks ago; and of course the weather took a turn for the worse this week. In the predicted 10 to 14°C (50-57F) with non-stop rain, I would like to have a jacket I can zip up.
At least the carb loading went smoothly 450g of carbs were the goal, and I managed that. The summary in my food diary looks quite scary!

May goal: 50 miles

5/1/17: 4 miles
5/3/17: 3.5 miles
5/4/17: 3.1miles
5/6/17: 3.1 miles


13.7/50 miles

My first 5K today was awesome! I had so much fun. The weather was perfect. And the route was really good. I had my best time ever. My pace was 11:02 and my chip time was 34:15.8. I felt really good about it. That is at least 4 minutes faster than I have ever run when I am by myself. And I got a medal because I was the top female finisher in my age division. It was a pretty small race, but I was not the only one in my age group. lol. I think it was perfect for me starting out at a smaller venue so it wasn't overwhelming. The race was held at the park where I typically run and even though the part where we were running out of the park was the opposite direction of my usual route, it was still an area I am familiar with. There was a carnival set up where I usually run and they were trying to keep us out of the traffic. It was a pretty hilly route, but I am used to most of those hills. The route actually ran about 3 blocks from my house, so I may start running it on a regular basis just to change up my running a little. The lady who was running near me most of the race finished in 34:15.7. It was really fun coming into the finish together like that. She told me that she wished she had a nice steady pace like I did. That made me feel incredibly good. I was never an athlete growing up and I was always intimidated by athletes. I love how the runners that I have met all seem to be very supportive of each other. This group has really helped me a lot. And even though many here have a lot more experience and mileage than me, and much faster paces I always feel welcome and encouraged. I really appreciate all the advice I have gotten from y'all. I can't wait to run another 5K. In fact I have been sitting here trying to decide if I am going to sign up for one on May 20th. There are 2 that are near me and I have spent most of the afternoon trying to decide which one to sign up for.

@snowyne and @kgirlhart: Congrats to you both on your first 5K races...awesome results!

@MNLittleFinn Terrific long run! Sounds like it all went well; those new shoes must've worked out nicely!

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And now for a little Oatmeal humour (this must've been posted somewhere before, but it's the weekend and I can't be bothered to go and look): http://theoatmeal.com/comics/running

"Crunches are an exercise where you lie on your back and angrily try to head-butt your crotch."

5/2 - 4 mile riverfront run, avg pace 8:36/mi.
5/4 - 6 mile downtown run, avg pace 8:41/mi.
5/6 - 3 mile greenway trail, avg pace 8:12/mi.

13/80

@snowyne and @kgirlhart big congrats on your first 5k races today! You both had awesome first race times and best of all, had fun.

I finally got my internet restored and can type like a normal person again. I already posted my run from this morning but here's the week summary
Date :::: Miles :::: Cumulative
05/01/17 :::: 2.7 :::: 2.7
05/02/17 :::: 3.2 :::: 5.9
05/03/17 :::: 3.0 :::: 8.9
05/04/17 :::: 4.0 :::: 12.9
05/05/17 :::: 3.0 :::: 16.0
05/06/17 :::: 10.0 :::: 26.0 out of 75

Upcoming races:
5/21 Angry Unicorn Half Marathon,Wakefield RI
10/1 Wineglass Half Marathon, Corning NY

07/05 - 3.2 miles run, 14 mile ride - Not well, so thought I was going to skip today, and then ended up running 30 mins, cycling 30 mins, and 20 mins Interval & Core ... I think my brain cell does not understand the meaning of an "off-day" very well



Completed
• 11/03 - 10K Run The Solar System (thanks for the tip) - 52:01
• 12/03 - TM Half Marathon (plugged in the MK HM route - attempt 1  ) - 1:54:02
• 25/03 - TM Half Marathon (plugged in the MK HM route - attempt 2  ) - 1:53:53
• 15/04 - TM Easter Bunny support run (plugged in the MK HM route - attempt 2  ) - 1:59:03
• 01/05 - Milton Keynes HM - 1:55:30
Coming up:
• 18/06 - Run-Bedford-Run - 10K
• 02/09 - Bedford HM
• 24/09 - Windsor HM