Pioneer 5k 2010

Subtitle: Cooler weather is my friend!

This past Saturday, we ran another 5k. This time, the run went through Seneca Park here in Louisville and the scenery was beautiful. It was a cool, crisp morning, so I ran in a long sleeved t-shirt for the first time this season. I foresee a very good Fall and Winter for myself, at least as far as running goes.

The first mile went really fast, as it was mostly flat and downhill, and when I crossed the guy with a watch calling out the times (“10 minutes even” he said as I strode by) I knew this would be a better finish than my last few 5ks.

The second and third miles had a lot of hills, but still weren’t as bad as those darned ones in Cherokee Park. Why does that place bother me so much? It’s such a beautiful park but I hate running in it.

Maybe it was because that was my first race in a while. Or maybe I just need to practice more there? I don’t know, ha ha. I do know that my preferences for running in parks goes: Iroquois, Seneca, Cherokee. Tom Sawyer park is okay but I didn’t really care for running in the grass.

Anyway, I digress. I finished the second mile in 11 minutes, so my time slowed considerably for those hills. But I did not have to walk at all! I just slowed down on the uphill and then let the momentum carry me back down the hill.

When we got toward the end and I could see the finish line, I ran as hard as I could while keeping good form. Farrah kept yelling “Put your arms down and use them!” Ha ha, I do tend to tighten up my arms, which is why my shoulders get so sore from running. Weird, huh?

When I crossed the finish line, I was so proud of myself. This is just the beginning of what is sure to be a triumphant return to running for me!

• Distance: 3.10 miles
• Time: 33:17
• Average Pace: 10:42/mile

That’s a 3 minute, 29 second improvement over my last time! Hence the subtitle of this post. Cooler weather is definitely my friend.

Looking forward to my next race on September 19th — a 15k! That’s 9.3 miles people. Better start increasing my training distance

First 5 miles

I have run five miles before, but today is the first time I have ran five miles since I have officially been in training for my mini marathon.

At first, I couldn’t decide between mapping out a five mile path around my neighborhood or driving to a local park, but since I had to make a trip to Whole Foods anyway, it made more sense to drive to Seneca and enjoy the scenery!

(Source)

The track is 1.2 miles long, so I ran it 4 times and then another quarter mile to get over the 5 miles I had planned.

The run was really reassuring. It was a little slower than I would’ve liked but for right now, I need to focus more on distance than time. Just knowing I can run 5 miles is pretty awesome.

• Distance: 5.05 miles
• Time: 52:34
• Pace: 10:25/mile

When I first got to the park, I had to use the bathroom (thank goodness I chose a park and not my neighborhood, which would’ve been really far away from my house) so that gave me a good warm up walking over there.

But when my feet hit the ground, running felt so natural again. It felt almost easy. After the difficult time I had on the treadmill on Thursday, this was just what I needed.

During mile three, I started to have some lower back pain but it was minor and went away pretty quickly.

Other than that, I had no complaints. No knee, calf or other discomfort. No stomach upsets or side stitches. Easy breathing.

It was an awesome run!