I believe I can fly…or at least run. January 9, 2012
Posted by mareserinitatis in personal.Tags: 10K, C25k, couch to 5k, exercise, running, training
5 comments
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I mentioned recently that I’d signed up to do a 10k in May. Today, I completed a step in that direction: I finished the couch-to-5k program I started back in October. It took two weeks longer than expected due to knee issues and illness, but I made it. This means that I can run for 30 minutes solid, but in my case, that’s not enough to finish a 5k.
Since it was my last run on the program and the weather outside was gorgeous (50 degrees….in January…I’m serious), I decided to do try my hand at jogging outside.
There are several differences: my legs got tired in different places, I only need moderately upbeat music to keep my distracted (versus the treadmill, which requires a very special set of VERY upbeat music), and my asthma started acting up immediately. I also noticed, when finished, that the GPS in my iPhone doesn’t work when the phone is against my body (damn antenna detuning).
My solution to the last two is to begin using my Garmin Forerunner. It has GPS, and I suspect that keeping an eye on my heart rate will help me gauge whether my exertion level is inappropriate. My asthma likely started because I was pushing myself too hard. After all, the allergens here are pretty few in number right now because even if it’s warm, it’s still January.
I’m giving myself a week with shorter workouts and then jumping to the Bridge to 10k program. Wish me luck!
OMG, my feet hurt. May 21, 2011
Posted by mareserinitatis in older son, personal.Tags: 10K, Fargo marathon, walking
2 comments
The older boy and I had been training to walk a 10K…and then the dog showed up, and our schedule got completely messed up. But we decided to go ahead and walk it anyway.
About 6 years ago, Fargo started hosting its own marathon, and it had become quite the deal around here. In the past, I was a race volunteer. This year, I decided I was going to enter one of the races. I was nervous as we were supposed to have thunderstorms, but that didn’t happen. I was overcast and in the 60s…perfect weather.
We started off on a good foot by actually making it to the starting line BEFORE the race started. I was sore/achy the first mile, but loosened up after that. We ran into someone who came from Canada and was disappointed they’d changed the race route (due to flooding) so that she wasn’t able to walk in Minnesota. Near the end of the race, there was a guy in a grim-reaper outfit holding a sign saying, “The end is near.” And there was cowbell – lots of it. I thought it was a joke when the website said the race now had more cowbell. Apparently they’d distributed cowbells to volunteers along the race, so there were lots of people with cowbells.
The highlight of the race, for me, was when we passed the 4 mi. mark, and I told the older boy, “We’re gonna make it!” He gave me a horrified look and said, “What?!” I repeated myself, and he looked relieved.
“What did you think I said?”
“Run naked.”
At the end of the race, we got medals and cookie dough. (Sorry, the cookie dough was gone before I had a chance to take a pic.)
Despite the fact that the older boy claimed the only reason he was doing this was for the free food at the end, he said he had a lot of fun and wanted to do it next year. Or maybe he just really likes cookie dough.
I’m trying to figure out if we can enter the dog as a participant, too.
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