Tag Archives: 10k

health and fitness, Run Away.

My First 10k Is COMPLETE!

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Y’all. On Saturday (yesterday), I RAN A 10K! I deserve some props, yeah?!

My sweet friend Aida (this race was her idea!) and me before the run!
My sweet friend Aida (this race was her idea!) and me before the run!

After I started training and learned what a “normal” pace was for me, I decided that my goad would be to finish the race in an hour or less. That meant I needed to keep a pace of a little less than 10 minutes per mile. I’m totally happy to say that I punched that pace and that goal in the face. I kept my pace between 8:42 (that was mile five, lots of downhills) and 9:40 (that was the first mile, aka my warm-up). My finish time (unofficial – the time that I saw on the giant clock as I crossed the finish line) was 57:11. I am SO beyond okay with that!

I had lots of friends that all killed it at the 10k, and had several more friends that killed the 5k. Let me just say, running a race with all those hills is not for the faint-hearted, no matter which race you were running. It seemed like every time I turned a corner I looked straight up another ridiculous hill. Blegh. But that made me glad that I did most of my training in my also-hilly neighborhood. Love me some Sherwood Forest!

So here’s some encouragement – I have a 10 month old baby. Because he was born in December, I didn’t even consider running until the weather warmed up a lot, so almost all of my “training” was since May, and I wouldn’t really call it actual training until August. I ran 2-4 times a week, depending on how busy I was, and when I ran (even towards the month of the race) I ran anywhere from 2.5-5.5 miles (usually with my double jogger and the kids – I didn’t run with the stroller during the race). I only ran a 10k distance once before the race. I did other workouts, like some strength training and a fair amount of yoga, but I wasn’t running nearly every day, or even working out every day. I just made up my mind that I wanted to do it, and worked in that direction till I did it. And now I love running and I’m so pumped that I was able to take part in and complete such a great, local race!

Have you run a race before? Was your experience good or bad? Has anyone else run the Ardmore RAH?!

health and fitness, Run Away.

Run Away – From Running?

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Time for a confession. I went a week and a half without going on a run.

YIKES! WHAT DID SHE SAY?!

Yes, I’m training for a 10K that’s happening at the end of this month, and I just went 10 days without running. In my defense, the weather played a part. Also in my defense, I worked out in different ways than running. So I wasn’t a total bum. I just didn’t run.

When I finally got back to it, I got in 3 miles that first day. I might have been able to go longer, but I didn’t get out there quickly enough, and J decided after the second mile he needed a nap in his own crib, so I headed home. Side note: I’d like to thank Jesus for finally ending the weird spitting rain that lasted for days, and not raising the temperature too much. It’s been lovely!

But I am committed. Well, re-committed. I am going to kick the snot out of this 10K if it kills me (it might). I’m going to try getting that run out of the way right after breakfast each day, which might be hard, because I am always guzzling coffee, and it makes it… uncomfortable… to run right after it. So here’s to a few more weeks of ONE cup of coffee before my run, and the rest after it! If I want more coffee, I have to run for it!

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And on the note of running for coffee, I sometimes run to Lowe’s Foods near my house (the one on Robinhood) if I can think of a couple of things I can grab quickly and toss in the bottom of the stroller. They’ve just done a massive upgrade (that was super annoying while it was happening) including a little coffee shop right inside the door. I have now had their brewed coffee, plain espresso, and a flavored latte (pumpkin spice, of course). All were delicious, not to mention inexpensive and served with a smile; the baristas are wonderful! So if you live close by, pop in there for a warm drink while you shop!

health and fitness, mommyhood

Run. Go on, do it!

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(This post is a continuation of Run Away.)

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Two and a half years ago, I couldn’t run a mile. I had had EK four months prior, and wasn’t in shape at all. At the beginning of that Stroller Strength Challenge, I could do almost no push ups, only a few sit ups, and walked most of my mile. At the end, I ran the mile (yay!) and almost tripled my number of sit ups and push ups. Yes, I worked my butt off. I worked out in some way almost every single day, I cleaned up my eating BIG time (including two bursts of completely clean eating) and got Hubby on board with my eating/working out habits. (Side note: He has always been healthier than me, an athlete, and a guy who likes working out. When I say I got him on board, it mostly meant we did it together.) What made it even easier and more fun was my tribe of Stroller Strength gals. To know you’re encouraged by women in the same boat as you makes it so much better!

Obviously, there is a season for everything. That was a time for me to find my “ground zero” where I felt like I was super healthy. I wasn’t looking to achieve a certain number (size, weight or otherwise). I was looking to feel great, and to start being able to set a healthy example for my family. I feel like I reached that goal.

That being said, I’ve got a new goal. I’ve discovered that I love running. I know… late in the game, you might say. However, it’s a stress release, it’s a fun time with other people if you find good running partners, it’s a great way to get outside, and it’s fun for me to run to the nearest playground, let my kids play for a while, and run home! Everybody gets what they want, right? My goal for this challenge is to complete a 10k that I’m running in October (The Ardmore RAH – check it out!) and I am struggling in this hot weather to get there. I’ve been running between two and three miles at a time for the past month. I feel like I’m stuck in a rut… maybe it’s a “three mile hump” thing and once you get over three miles, the rest comes easier? Probably not, but I’m trying. With my kids schedules, it’s difficult for me to get them up, fed, and in the stroller before it’s hot as hell outside. Therefore, I’m so hot by the time I’ve done mile two that I can’t think about anything but AC and a bathroom break. Mile three is simply getting home from wherever I am at mile two.

I’m at least thankful that my kids love it. They love our stroller (BOB Revolution Duallie), they love being outside, and I always pack snacks and sippies to get us through the trip. Often, we can run to someone’s house to say hi, or to the playground, or even run to a farther location- like the grocery store – and let Hubby come pick us up (yes, it’s happened more than once). And every once in a while, when I go on a run without the stroller full of heavy kids, I feel such immense freedom and lightheartedness (light-everything-ness) that I think I could run that 10k right then.

Let’s just say I’ll be excited for a weather change – and not only because of my running… but because it’s my favorite time of year. Scarves and boots and running without crying, here I come!