Day 90--Running

I ran the same 5K route I ran last week and returned home in 34:42. I am now hoping to get my 5K time down to 30 minutes before May 22nd when I run my next race. That's five weeks to shave five minutes off my time. I have 44 miles to run during that same time, so I'll have plenty of practice, I think. I am kind of doing this all be feel, so that might be a totally unrealistic goal. I've looked for training schedules on line, but they all seem to be for purchase. I'm not going to pay $20 for someone to tell me that I should run and walk more if I want to get better at it. I will continue to run and walk more, and try to hit the various goals that I set along the way. It seems to be working for me so far. Maybe I'll get help once the goals start getting bigger or I start missing my goals.

Day 89--Water

I have finally found a way to get close to the 64+ ounces of water I'm supposed to drink each and every day. I bought a 56 ounce PBA free water bottle. If I use the included ice pack, it only holds 50 ounces. I make sure to fill this bottle first thing every morning when I get to work, and empty it before I get home. It's been a few weeks and I've managed to empty it every week day. I'm not as good about it on weekends, though. Weirdly, I'm noticing the lack of water on weekends. I'm drinking the same amount most Saturdays & Sundays that I was drinking every day for the last decade or so, but now that I'm fully hydrated five days of the week, the days where I'm not fully hydrated are noticeable. The only thing I really notice is feeling kinda thirsty, something I rarely used to experience.

Day 88--Measurements (Take 5)

It's been about a month since the last time I did this. It's also right before summer when I'm more active with biking to work and running more. Seems a good time to get a set of measurements in. Later tonight, I'll be getting some photos in, too.

My weight is at 130.5. That's 2.4 pounds lost in the last month.

Waist: 29.5 same as March, but 2 1/2 less than at the beginning.
Hips: 38 same as March, but 1 less than at the beginning.

Waist to Hip ratio is 0.76, which is solidly in the Healthy Range.

My body fat percentage hasn't changed. I think I need to find a way to measure that allows for decimals. I have to round every number, so nothing changes.

My upper chest is down to 33 inches. (2 inches lost since the beginning)
Under by bust is down to 30 inches. (3 inches lost since the beginning)
The rest of my measurements are the same as a month ago.

Day 88--5K #2

I have officially signed up for my second 5K. I will be running the Path to Progress It benefits the American Brain Tumor Association. If you'd like to donate a few dollars, I would really appreciate it. You can donate here. It's a good cause and a well-run charity.

You can also use that same link if you'd like to join me in running that day. Right now I'll be running with Kate.

Day 87--run

I went for a full 5K run today, mainly because it's a beautiful day. I had mapped out a run a few weeks back, and I took that route. It's actually 5.03 km, but I can't see finding a closer route without spending days trying to map it out. I managed to complete my run in 36 minutes. It's slower than I ran my race, but there was nothing really pushing me to make it faster. I'm hoping that by running this more often, I can improve my time to 30 minutes. Eventually.

Today was also the first time I used my heart rate monitor. I bought it because it was on super sale and came with a digital watch. My regular watch isn't really cut out for exercise. According to my HRM, I was exercising at the high end of my target heart rate zone (157), but my max of 169 was well above that.

Day 86--Inertia

"An object that is not in motion will remain at rest until some force causes it to move."

I need someone or something to be that force. I'm tentatively scheduled to do a 5K on May 22nd & June 26th, but that's a bit far off for me to worry about. I need some direct challenge that's earlier.

I've looked back at the beginning of my blog to see if my original goals could be updated and restated. I didn't really have any specific goals in December, except a perfect body. That's impossible, but my body looks a ton better than it did in December.

I stole the idea of running a 5K every month from Meghan's blog and I'm really glad that I did. I think I'm going to steal an idea from another online friend. He's set a goal to run 1000 miles over the next two years. I will have to modify it, though. I think I'll try to run 50 miles in between my scheduled runs. That works out to a little less than a mile a day. I'll see if I can find a widget for my blog to show my progress.

I will be setting some cycling goals next month. May 3rd is the first day that I'll be biking to work. It's about 15 miles a day, so my goal will probably be about 300 miles per month and 1,500 miles for the full summer.

Day 85--Results

I didn't get a chip for yesterday's race. I didn't want to spend an extra $5 for something I could do with my watch, unless I would be up for an award, and that seemed highly unlikely. I wouldn't have been in any position for an award, but I finished right in the middle of the pack for my age group. The best times for women 35-39 were about 24 1/2 minutes. Now I have a long-term goal. Short term, my goal is to simply improve my time from my first race.

On May 22nd at Soldier Field, I will be running the 5th Annual Path to Progress Run/Walk/Strut I will be running with my friend Kate. We haven't set up our team or registered yet, but I will be hitting you all up for donations. It's a really good organization, and they're well-run, too.

Day 84--Race Day

I DID IT!!!!
I started the day with three goals:
1. Don’t hurt myself. 2. Finish the Race. 3. Finish in about 45 minutes.
I accomplished all three goals. I’m not hurt and I finished the race. I finished the full race in 35 minutes 12 seconds.
I feel like I can safely call myself a runner now. It was exhilarating. I finally understand the “runners’ high” that I’ve heard everyone talk about. I also understand how the race day atmosphere can push you to do better than you do otherwise. I ran the first two miles in 22 minutes, and each mile took about the same time. That was my time for a one mile run, but not my goal for today. It just seemed possible when I saw others doing it. The last mile was tough and I walked part of it, but still managed to finish that in 13 minutes. It was encouraging to make the turn and see all the other runners that were behind me.
The race “organizers” need to change their title, though. It started 15 minutes late, which works out to 50% late. FAIL. There were also overlapping routes for the 5K & 10K runs, but there were no signs indicating the difference. They had guys with flags telling people which way to go. That would have been great, if we didn’t all have headphones on and could have heard him. SIGNS would have been a really good idea. Also, there were crowd barriers that were set up in the middle of the path. I saw numerous people nearly run into them.
I’m now looking forward to the next race. I want to improve my time. I am looking for suggestions of any May races that are in the area and are for a good cause.

Day 83--Race stuff

I received my race shirt & number yesterday. It's all real now. I'm getting more nervous, especially with the time off from working out. I'm still killing off the end of this sinus infection. I think I'll be ok to run on Saturday; it's been easier for me in the mornings than evenings.

Day 82--Sinus infection

My cold's been gone for about a week, but it morphed into what I think is a sinus infection. I think I'd rather have the cold. The sinus infection is causing headaches and a loss of my sense of balance. It's been almost two weeks since I've worked out and I have only the rest of this week until my run. I've lost a lot of time that I was hoping to use to build up to the run, so I'm now hoping that I can finish in under 45 minutes. Honestly, I'm just hoping that I'm able to finish.

I did get a heart monitor yesterday, which I'm also excited to try out. I know I'm improving my heart's strength, but it will be nice to be able to graph that change.