Thursday, May 29, 2008

5K Warning!

I've been asked by about 15 people now about my 1st 5K race, which I am running on June 29 at the Livonia Spree. The question that most people ask is about my time: what time am I shooting for?

I am shooting for a finish, period. The race comes 9 weeks after I started running for fitness and weight loss. I entered this race for motivation to continue with my fitness plan, not to seriously compete. I informed the race coordinator when I signed up that my only goal was to finish, and I didn't care about my time. I've had slugs and snails passing me during my "long" runs in the last two weeks...but the point is not speed, it's fitness. I don't even know how many miles I run during any of my workouts--at this point I am using time as a guide and slowly increasing the length of time that I run as the weeks go by.

So...when the race comes and goes, I will probably post pictures, as Tom is going to bring both of our girls to cheer me on, and then we will all enjoy a pancake breakfast afterwards. (Another warning: the post-race pictures WILL be horrid. I have seen the mirror after my running workouts, and let me tell you, the results are rarely pretty!) But I will not be posting my time--not even if it is a good one. To think about the time would make me nervous or cocky, and I don't want either--I just want motivation to stick with the training.

I found a great training program for beginners in the May, 2008 issues of Runner's World magazine. I am adhering to this program fairly well. I run on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays I cross-train by doing an at-home strength training routine, it lasts about 38 minutes. Sunday is a day of rest for the body as well as the spirit. All of my weekday workouts are completed early in the morning before Tom goes to work; he takes care of the girls if they wake up before I'm finished.

So far, I have only missed two workouts, and they were both strength-training workouts. I missed the workouts due to traveling on Memorial Day weekend, but I did take my running shoes with me and was able to complete my scheduled Saturday run. I have yet to miss a running workout before the race, and I don't plan to, either.

I send thanks to all of my friends and family for their well-wishes and encouragement about my training. Please feel free to ask about the race afterwards, too--I just won't be sharing my time for personal reasons. :-)

2 comments:

Julieann said...

Rebecca, how inspiring!!! I can't wait to hear how it was---I would love to enter a race like that:)

Julieann

Mrs Swan said...

Unlike Julieann I have no interest in doing a race like that. If I did I could do a free one July 12th that my in-laws will be walking in with Aaron in the stroller and DH will be running in. I will have Ben and be prepping for Aaron's b-day part that day. LOL

DH and his best friend used to run cross country in HS. They just started runnign again in DEC and they have a goal of one 5k a month. I never posted about how DH left me in the hospital the night I had Ben so he could go home and sleep the night because he had a run the next morning. HEH I let him though We delievered 35 miles from home and we had alread paid for the race not expecting the baby for another 2 weeks.

I was actually just thinking about it the other day because they never should have let me keep the baby. I was recovering from c-section, alone, and on mag sulfate for the pre-e. I guess I got a free pass from the BFing Heh

Anyway go you for running! We joined the Y (updated blog with info) I had pics they were just needed to be published. Internet issue this past weekend.