What to blog, what to blog? I know, it has seriously been a very long time, and I won't try to give you excuse, because there is none. So should I write about finally running an entire 5K without walking on Thanksgiving? Rate/review the 5K training program app that I used? Discouragement after 5K? Tour de Toys Bike Ride in December? More info on the Yellowstone Half Marathon that I posted on January 1? Starting a 5K-10K running program? Second time I ran an entire 5K race in February? How about a little bit of all?
Gobbler's Run, 1st 5K ever completed without any walking: I was quite nervous about it. I had only run 3 miles once without any walking, and struggled with that. Plus I knew this course was quite hilly. Race morning was quite cold, as I recall, in the high 20s. This particular event is very well attended. The start wasn't quite as organized as in past years, and so there were people walking 2 and 3 wide right at the start and in the way. Quite annoying! I just took it at a slow pace, and I did it! I think it was sheer determination that day, as the next week I barely was able to run 2 without getting out of breath. Leading to the discouragement after the 5K. I guess I thought after running it without stopping one time, that I would always be able to do it. Don't know where that idea came from. I was mentally beating myself up, until talking to a few friends from my run club, who said it takes a couple of months usually to be able to do it consistently. I decided for the month of December that other than run club, I would take the month off from running and start new training in January.
Review of the program/app for 5K: I used RunDouble. It wasn't by recommendation, just looked through the App Store on my phone and thought it sounded good. You get the first 2 weeks for free to see if you like it, which is very nice! Then if you decide you want it, it was less than $2 (sorry, can't remember the exact price). For the Couch to 5K, you can choose either a timed program or distance. I chose distance as I wanted to know that I could run the 5K at the end, not just 30 minutes. You can listen to music on your device while you use the app. When the app tells you your pace or time, it just softens the music a little bit. You can also look up your statistics on their website, and I like that it tells you over the duration of your training how many miles total you have done. I was ecstatic when I got to 26 miles! My main complaint of this program is that is was NOT a true COUCH to 5K. Thank goodness I had been sporadically running the year or so before, because this 6 week app was very intense and increased the distance very quickly than you would run each week.
Tour de Toys Charity Ride: This event is very cool, and if you live anywhere near the Triangle, I highly encourage you to do it this December. It was my 3rd time riding. It is free to register, the charity just asks that you bring a toy for a child. The toys go to children of women living at Women's Center of Wake County. Tour de Toys is the only charity that gets toys for these children, and so I hope every year this event grows! The ride itself is pretty simple: You can choose from a 6 mile route that goes around downtown, or a 12 mile route that goes from downtown to the Art Museum and back. I have only done the 12...so I don't know how challenging the 6 miler is. The roads are not closed, and so there is always traffic to contend with, but the group stays pretty close together so safety really isn't an issue. There are quite a few challenging hills when we pass Meredith College and ride on the greenway to the museum, but I knew what to expect. All levels of riders are out, and that can be a little frustrating (not that I'm anywhere near a pro!), but since the event gives to children, you can't really complain. It did start raining a little over halfway through, so we got wet, but not drenched. But at the end, we had some adult beverages waiting for us and raffles for prizes...nice motivation! I can't stress enough, check this event out this coming holiday season. I promise I will link to it when they announce the date later this year!
Well, I don't want you to fade while reading about what's been going on...so I will make this blog a 2 parter so that you can have more to look forward to tomorrow! Have a great evening!
I remember feeling discouraged too when it took me several months after running my first 5K to be able to run another. I'm glad you worked past that & kept going!
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