Marathon?

Since I have started running, I have been asked many times, when are you running a marathon? The truth is, I have no interest or plan to run one.

I think many people associate running a marathon as the "ultimate" running accomplishment. I have so much admiration and respect for those people who choose to take on that challenge and reach their goal; however, that is not a goal that I share. For one thing, the training to complete a marathon is rigorous and time consuming and involves completing longer and longer runs to develop race-specific endurance. Although I have enjoyed learning and improving my running, I do not wish to devote hours and hours of time to running. Not only do I have other family responsibilities, but I have other fitness interests as well (resistance training and yoga).

Furthermore, while I believe that with the proper training I could certainly complete a marathon, I could never be competitive in it. I enjoy the 5,000m (5K) distance because I can run races frequently and quickly see my improvement. I enjoy doing speed work and seeing tangible results.

So while I commend those who do work hard to run and compete in marathon races, I feel appropriately matched with the 5K distance and will continue to strive for my time goals in those races.

Today's workout:
60 min hill interval elliptical (7.6 mi)
30 min resistance training
60 min yoga

Shavin' off the Seconds

This morning, I did not feel like running. After a wonderful night out with my friends, I most certainly did not feel like going out for a 5K race. However, after I woke up, I realized that I was just going to lie awake there anyway - my husband certainly wasn't getting up - so I might as well go out and run.

It was a beautiful morning - a little chilly, but I wore a long sleeve shirt. The entire Capital University football team came out to support the cause, and the Bexley HS soccer and field hockey teams ran as well.

This 5K raises money to support finding the cure for ALS, an insidious disease that attacks the nervous system. Most of its victims succomb to the illness within the first five years after diagnosis. However, this race honors the courage of Marc Levison, a familiar face in Bexley, who has battled the disease for 20 years with positivity and grace. The facebook page for the Marc Levison 5K describes him in this way:

Though Marc has lost most of his muscular ability, he can still hear, see, and feel. His mind has not been affected at all. This disease breaks it’s victims down and most have a life expectancy of 3 years. This is not the case with Marc. If anything, it has made him realize his love for life and given him a strength that is beyond anything I have seen in anyone. His positive nature has kept Marc alive for over 20 years since his diagnosis, and he continues to fight until a cure is found. Marc has a quote… “Find a cause you’d die for, and live for it.” His cause is finding a cure for Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Please stand up for Marc and hundreds of thousands of others with ALS.

He is an inspiration! He was out in support of the race this morning.

After getting to the race, I felt a little better, and it was nice to see a few familiar faces. I ran comfortably, at an even pace and was pleased to pass a few people, and was able to stay at the front of the pack. Ultimately, I shaved 15 seconds off my fastest time so far, with a finish time of 23:29 at a pace of 7.57 min/mi. (~7.6 mph). I finished second in my age group (the one ahead of me was only 5 seconds ahead of me -- my husband says if I hadn't had 3 cosmos the night before I could have beaten her!), and 34th out of 335 runners overall. Not bad!

Racing with the Fam

Today I ran in the "Panerathon" 5K, a race benefiting the Children's Hunger Alliance. I went in knowing that my training of late has not been as intense as usual, due to my getting through a case of shingles (yuck). So, my goal going in was to come in faster than 25:00 - and I met that goal! So, even though I was 27 seconds slower than my last race, my finish time was a respectable 24:07 -- not amazing, but not too bad either. I was third in my age group, 76th overall.

The race itself was fairly large (560 runners), and many of the runners were quite fit and FAST! I was passed by many runners at the start of the race, but I found my pace and was able to maintain a fairly quick pace through the first two miles, and felt good. Unfortunately, though, I definitely started to feel it in that last mile.

Today was a fun day though - the family came and watched me run! There was even a kids' run in which D decided to participate.
Here are all the kids lined up and ready to go ... D is in the middle of this melee.

She was very excited before the race started. She told me, "Sometimes I get tired when I run, and then I have to walk." I told her that was OK.
And she's off! That's D on the far right.
D ran fast! It was billed as a quarter mile fun run, but that was the shortest quarter mile ever! It was more like a quarter of a quarter-mile (or, as my husband says, an eighth of a mile).
Afterward, she got a medal. She was very proud of herself, and we were proud of her too! I thought she would be excited about the medal, but she whispered to me, "Mommy, EVERYBODY got a medal." I guess she realizes what Dash in the Incredibles movie realized when told that everyone is special: "which is another way of saying no one is."
While I was running, D&G visited the various booths around the area, including the SWAT team (note the helmet and goggles), firefighters, Columbus Zoo, Ohio Wildlife Center, the Blue Jackets, Columbus Crew and others. A great time was had by all!

Fourteen Seconds!

That's how much I shaved off my race time today! I completed the Heinzerling 5K in 23:44, fourteen seconds faster than my last race (average pace-7:39/mi). More importantly, I didn't feel like I was going to die when I finished! In fact, as I passed the 3.0 mile marker, I saw the time clock was at 23:3? and I knew I could beat my last time, so I sprinted hard for the finish. There was no way I could have done that last time - I dragged myself over the finish line. Also, I won my age group again! Overall, I finished 24th of 155 runners, 6th of 88 women.

Homestead Park was not my favorite race venue, for the simple fact that it was extremely difficult to get to. It is located on the far west side of town, in Hilliard. The trail was paved, with rolling hills in some places that transitioned into a flat bike path. No part of the trail was shaded, however, and I am hoping I don't end up with a little bit of a sunburn!

The Heinzerling Foundation is a residential facility that "provides a loving and nurturing environment that enriches the development, education and quality of life of individuals with severe or profound mental retardation." Find out more about the foundation here.

Getting Zippy with It!

Since I have started running, one of my main goals has been to increase speed. I have no desire to run a marathon; the 5K distance is perfect for me. I have steadily been chipping away at my run times since my first 5K race.

I looked to this month's Women's Running magazine article, "Get Faster!" for tips on improving my speed. I tried the VO2 Max workout on the treadmill today and it was fantastic! I was working hard and sweating! I attempted the workout, but quickly aborted it, yesterday after I felt like I was going to fall off the treadmill - I was pushing myself too hard. Today, I slowed the speed down to a more manageable pace where I was still challenged, but could explore a new workout without reaching the point of complete exhaustion or risking injury.

Women's Running defines VO2 Max as "maximum oxygen uptake ... describes the body' ability to utilize oxygen to create energy during exercise." They suggest running at 90-95% of your perceived effort. Today, I was probably running at 80%, and next time I will push it up a notch. Here's what I did today:

warm-up: 1 mile - 0% incline - 5.0 mph

.25 miles - 3% incline - 8.5 mph
.25 miles - 0% incline - 5.0 mph
(these two sequences were repeated 6 times)

cool down: 1 mile - 0% incline - I started at 5.0 mph and continually increased speed at random intervals until I finished at 6.5 mph.

I ended up running 5 miles in a little less than an hour. The magazine suggests mixing VO2 Max workouts in with basic speed runs as well as runs for lactate threshold. I am going to try out these other plans and we'll see what our next race results show!!

Running with the Zippy Mama

Today I ran my fastest time yet, 23:58!!  I was super excited to get in under 24 minutes.  At about the two mile mark, I latched onto another runner (who I didn't know!) whose pace seemed *just enough* faster than mine to motivate me.  However, at about the 2.9 mile mark, I was STRUGGLING and had to let him break away ahead of me.  When I saw the clock still said 23 minutes, I picked up the pace as much as I could to make sure than I came in under 24.  And I did!!!  I was so proud of myself.  My pacemaker came up to me later and said, "I was trying to keep up with you the whole way!"  Running in a race is a great way to see how being with others is one of the best motivations to do your best, and then try to do even better!

By the way, I won my age group (30-39) and came in as the fourth female overall!