Running: A year in review

On Sunday I ran in my 6th road race. When I think about that, it makes me so proud of how far I have come. All 6 of the races have been in the last year. Before that I wasn't a runner. I started using the Couch to 5k program in June of 2011. I wasn't exactly at "couch" level when I started, but I couldn't run 3 consecutive miles at that point either. I did my first 5k last October, the PRMH 5k Women's classic. I am on the community outreach committee at my work and one of the charities we support is the Providence Ronald McDonald House. I lead the quarterly themed dinners we prepare for the guests of the house so this run and raising money for this cause is near to my heart.

The first race I ran, I went all out. I actually hurt my neck while I was running it because I was so tense. I managed to run really fast (for me), but I paid for it later. Over the past year I have worked to increase my distance and managed 2 half marathons, but now I want to start to work on my speed! I want to keep a record of the races I run each year. i was going to do calendar years, but since I started with this race last year I will do October to October and see how I improve over time.

10/2/11          PRMH 5k Women's Classic      28:44       9:17 pace
10/30/11        Monster Mini Dash 5k               30:10      9:44 pace
4/15/12          MS Rhode Race                         31:26     10:08 pace
5/20/12          Pawtucket Cherry Tree 1/2      2:12:08    10:06 pace
9/16/12          Surftown 1/2 marathon            2:16:17    10:24 pace
10/7/12          PRMH 5k Women's Classic      27:00       8:43 pace

I am so excited to have a new 5k personal record. I didn't think it was going to happen considering my kids were both sick and keeping me up all night since Thursday! The coolest thing about doing half marathons and having to do the long runs to train for them is that 3 miles starts to seem like a drop in the bucket. I told myself, when I started, to go all out (without injuring myself again) because it was "just" 3 miles. I never thought 3 miles would seem like a "just" in my mind. Getting healthy hasn't been easy, but it has been rewarding.

And now for a little laugh, here is my race pic from Sunday. Apparently he snapped the pic just as my foot hit the ground and I appear to be power walking rather than running. Rest assured, I was running. Fast. Ok, well, fast for me. :)