Workouts this week: April 22-28

Monday: Off
30-minute bike ride

Tuesday: Speed work
This was my first speed session in forever. 
The goal was the workout was 5k pace. I thought I could do some mile repeats at 7 minute miles. But hitting 7:30s was hard. Super hard. But I didn't quit. I finished the workout. My legs were really heavy in that last mile (7:41.) 

It was slower than I wanted. But still getting my body used to running faster again. Seeing that I haven't done that workout in 2 months makes sense. I looked and my half marathon prep had a lot of tempos towards the end. So I'm just out of practice for shorter repeats. 

 Who knows what else was going on? I certainly didn't feel as great as hoped. 

Wednesday: Trail run
I led a group trail run. I ran 3 miles. So I could prep the snacks before most people got back. 3 miles has been such a nice distance for my body lately. I finish the run before exhaustion. 

I thought the trail run was going to be hot, but the humidity was so low, it was pleasant out. 

Thursday: Off
I had a Lululemon event after work. They had a try-on event for local runners.  They said they're really focusing on run gear this year and wanted local run group leaders to try out some run products. I think the point was to try new clothing and I have most of their run gear already. 

I tried on some Time to Sweat Crops. They were too long.
I tried on some In the Movement Crops. They felt like aligns and wen't as compressive. And didn't have enough pockets.
I have the Pace Rival. But they were too long. 
I tried on a cropped top that I liked. But they didn't have my size. (It was also out of stock online.) 
I ended up getting a new Swiftly tank top, because those are nice to run in. They breathe better than the Cool Racerback.

I wish I would have gotten some more pieces, but I really just want more Fast & Free crops. 

Friday: Morning miles
I ran 5 miles in the morning. It was fine. Perfect weather really. It was cool. My favorite weather to run in. Low 60s. 

(I spent the rest of the day helping with my brother's wedding. I got home around midnight.) 

Saturday: Easy 3
Today was the lightest I've felt in awhile. My brain just felt free of the usual anxiety and stress. It's been awhile since I've felt this way. I kept the miles easy since I'll try running long tomorrow. (And my body seems to like the shorter runs lately. The 30 mile weeks are hard, and just leave me feeling drained.) 

Why did I feel so much freer? I wasn't in the office yesterday, which helped. Yesterday was exhausting. It was non-stop and I didn't get home until midnight. I had to be up early to help with Twilight at 7 a.m. So I should be exhausted. But I ALWAYS feel better about volunteering. I love being at races. Maybe it was the combination of working hard, feeling appreciated and feeling like I made a difference. 

I stopped the run at 3 miles. Lately, that's been a nice distance that doesn't leave me too tired. 

Sunday: Long run
I was going to do Renee's long run with her. I thought we were doing 10, but she was in a hurry, so we did 8 at a faster pace than I anticipated: 8:44 pace, which is in my wheelhouse, but not as easy as I'd planned. (Our first mile was 9 minutes and then the rest were around 8:30.) We finished and I considered doing another 2 on my own. I got my second wind in that last mile. But Renee drove off and I stopped. I didn't want to be tired the rest of the day. 

Later that day, I was feeling great. I did some yoga. I went on a 3 mile bike ride. And then because I had 24 miles for the week, did one more mile to make it 25 miles.

Miles this week: 25 (which is back to normal. I'm feeling much better after going easy last week.)
Totals: 5 runs, 2 bike rides, 1 yoga session 

Two years into my running journey

Two years and one week ago I did my first real race as an adult.

The race had pacers. And it was the race that inspired me to do more with running.

It was the Chick-Fil-A half. I'd known about the race for a few years, mostly because it impacted traffic around town for years. And I wanted to do it, but 13.1 seemed like too many miles. So when there was an option to run HALF of that, I signed up. And since I'd never run 6.5 miles before I followed a training plan, and gradually increased my mileage. (First time following a training plan.) I remember the first time I completed 6 miles or 8 miles. I remember finding my easy pace—where I felt like I could run forever.

And I ran the race—and surprised myself with a faster than expected finish.

I am such a different runner than I was then.

Running that race—and finishing as second place woman (for half the half), nudged me to join the Athens Road Runners. And it helped me start training and learning so much about running.

How I'm a different runner than I was 2 years ago

• I'm a more serious runner than I was then. I just take it more seriously: tracking weekly mileage, podcasts group runs, morning workouts everything.
• Back then I ran 12 mile weeks. Now, I usually run 10+ miles as my long run on the weekend. I run about 30 miles a week, give or take. I also log my miles. (I'd barely started to use Strava before that race. Now I'm addicted.)
• I hadn't heard of gels or fueling on the run now. Now, I always have a giant stash of fuel for long runs on me.
• I take hydration more seriously. I'm always thinking about water and if I'm drinking enough (I'm usually not.)
• I do speed work regularly.
• I have different paces. (Back then, I had one speed. A tempo. No easy or all out.)
• I listen to podcasts now. Which I didn't even do a year ago.

How I'm the same
• I'm still very particular about gear. Love to run in Lululemon.
• I still always carry my phone with me.
• While I do more group runs, I still do most of my runs alone and on the trails.
• I'm still the same size. I haven't gained any weight. I'm still not an ultra skinny runner.
• I'm still working on mental toughness. I have some natural speed, but am not the toughest. Work in progress.

Accidental 5k PR: Outrun Parkinson's 5K

I've wanted to run a sub 22 5k since 2017.  It hasn't happened. I've been training for half marathons and just haven't had the right race. I've run 22:30 a few times and I think Strava gave me a 22:11 once.

This morning I decided to run a 5k.

I'm 2 weeks off a half marathon, and after my 13 recovery days I was more than ready for a workout. I thought my legs were as rested as they'd ever be, so I told my sleeping husband I was going to do some speed work and went to a race. (I didn't want to get expectations up in case I blew up.)

I thought maybe I'd get some 7:30 pace work in and I'd be happy with a time under 23 minutes. I was really worrying about blowing up. About being tired and having to walk on the course. I have done NO speed work in almost 3 weeks. I haven't done any 5k specific work since last year. And I wasn't trained at all. I thought this would be a tempo run with other people. I had no expectations for this race. Hence I told no one.

I also had Chick-Fil-A for my pre-race dinner. I had waffle fries and Chick-Fil-A sauce. (Bad day and I was eating my feelings). This really could have been a disaster.

I show up and pay my $25 for the race.

And the course is different than normal. It's finishing in a parking lot instead of the normal downhill by the beach finish.

I line up by the front. It's a small race. I figure even on a bad day I'll be close to the front. And then it's race time.

Mile 1: 7:05. I feel great. I'm flying. I'm worried I'm going too fast so I throw on the brakes.
Mile 2: 7:32. Which is super cool that I can find this pace so easily. This is what I thought I'd run. I did a check in. And my legs felt fine. My breathing was the only thing that wasn't great. I focused on it and calmed it down.
Mile 3: 7:16 pace. I told myself to speed up. I hit the halfway mark on PR pace and I was feeling good. So I sped up.
I should add here that the course was short.
I hit the first mile and my watch said .96. And then I hit the race's 3 mile mark and my watch was at 2.8 or 2.9. But I could see the finish and I was so glad.
I crossed the line and my watch said 2.99
21:50

Which I didn't expect to see that at all.
I ran another .1 at about 7:40 pace just for my Strava account.
And I think that's a PR. It's an official course. Watches measure differently. I've had so many races that measure long.
And even if it was short, I was on PR pace. I averaged 7:18 pace when I think 7:20 pace is my PR.

And I'm elated. I finished second place woman. And don't know where that came from. I thought a minute slower would have been great.

So when people talk about race with no expectations—I've never believed them. But maybe now I do? There was no pressure on this race and I flew. I felt great. My legs are fine. Maybe it was a tad hard the last .6 or so.

It was the race I needed. Yesterday I was thinking of quitting running. It's just such a huge time commitment. I miss free time. But this made me so happy. Hard work is paying off. I'm actually getting fast. So happy with this.

So thank you for this race. And for doing something on a whim and it working out!!

Also this race photo is so bad is's hilarious. I was really happy the race was over. And I don't remember feeling THAT bad but that's what the end of a race feels like.

Photo credit: Classic Race Services

Why I'm not running Ragnar this year

Last year my husband ran Ragnar and I not so secretly wanted to start my own women's team, so we could beat the boys team. (I know a lot of fast ladies.)

And then, to my surprise, I was invited to a women's Ragnar team. My running reputation had gotten around and I, apparently made the cut.

I was thrilled and very honored.

I love trail running and I love relay races.

But then, I ended up saying no.

Money
The first reason was the cost. Ragnar is about $200. I just had a destination race in Savannah and that wasn't cheap. But the team I was invited to also wanted to do glamping, which raised the price to about $360 per person. Which is a lot of money. Especially when a 5k is normally $25 and a half marathon around $80. I couldn't justify that much money.

Risk of injury
Had I gotten a free entry would I do it? Still no. I really wanted to. But I was terrified of the idea of running trails at night. Those trails are perilous. I really worried about twisting an ankle. It just seemed dangerous. I've run trails slightly before dawn and after sunset—trails I know. I still try to avoid it. I've run on the road when dark, and I still don't like to do it.

Camping
I don't like camping and port-a-potties. It's not something I enjoy. There is a hotel near the campsite, but it was full. I checked several times.

Over-nights
I cherish my sleep. And I have NEVER been able to pull an all-nighter. I need naps. So I really wonder how bad I'd do in the overnight portion of this race.

So I'm not running Ragnar. I don't want to spend that much money and really don't want to get hurt. It still sounds super cool. I hope the guys have fun. And best of luck to anyone running. I'll visit and cheer you on!