I feel like Forrest Gump. These are my magic running shoes! I thought I’d take it easy today, seeing as how I haven’t been to the gym in nearly a week and I’m still wary about my back and my Achilles tendon. I figured I’d just do a mile or two and see how I felt. Well, I felt great! I breezed through the first mile and just kept going. I ended up shaving another 15 seconds off my 5K time (38:15). What’s more, I cut way down on the walk breaks. (I took short breaks after each of the first two miles, and then two more during the last mile and a bit.) And my back didn’t hurt at all! Usually by the second mile it’s practically spasming (is that a word?), but today I didn’t have to stop to stretch it at all. Hooray for the new shoes!

I forgot to mention that I finally got my new running shoes yesterday. These are the ones I got. As expected, I didn’t get the cool scientific high-tech fitting they show in the commercials, but my salesperson was reasonably knowledgeable and these seemed like a good choice within my budget. I’m off to the gym to try ’em out!

Running a mile in just over 11 minutes? Nine months of hard work…

Finishing 5K in 38:30, when it took me 45:44 last June? Four months of pounding on the treadmill…

Having one of the hard-core weightlifter guys congratulate me after my run and observe that I’ve lost a bit of weight over the past few months? Bloody priceless.

Good luck to Jeff and Tricia, who will be running the Chicago Marathon today. I’m just in awe. These two are my new running inspiration. In honor of their feat, I pushed myself to an all new personal best (distance-wise) today: four miles! Along the way I managed to cut another half-minute off my 5K time. I can’t believe I did it. It wasn’t that hard, either, because I tried a new technique: “walk breaks”. Basically, I always thought that walking was, like, cheating. I didn’t know it was a legitimate strategy til Tricia linked that that guy’s site last month. So I tried it. One minute walking for every ten minutes jogging. And it worked! I found myself running at a faster speed because I could tackle each one in discrete units. I’m still a slowpoke, but I’m getting better. I feel pretty good.

(Did you notice how I managed to turn a little “Good luck” message to Jeff and Tricia into a post all about me? *sigh* I blog too much.)

This is it! I’m hydrated and rarin’ to go for the big race. Stay tuned for pictures and results. Wish me luck!

Update: I did it! Well, sorta. The course was actually pretty hard and I had to walk the last couple of hills. I think my increased pace from the “race day adrenaline” made up for it, though, because my time was pretty much the same as it was on the treadmill (despite my unfamiliarity with running outdoors and the pounding heat from the sun). Here are the official results, which show me coming in at 356th out of 663 participants. (Note that I was just beaten by a ten-year-old. Sheesh.) I was disappointed that I had to walk at all, but the Snook pointed out that everybody except the first few runners had to walk the last hill. So that made me feel better. And I was definitely not last. There were hundreds of women running, jogging, and walking, and it felt good just to be out there among them challenging myself.

       

The first is good ol’ number 7929 before the race. (My tummy is really not that round, I swear. It’s the shirt.) I’m squinting because although it’s only 8:30 a.m., the sun is bright and it’s already above 70 degrees. The second is me sprinting towards the finish line. My mouth is open because I’m trying to yell “I’m going to die!” at the Snook but I lack the moisture to form the words. The last is me after the race, wearing my little “participation” medal and picking up my goodie bag of drinks and power bars. Man, it felt good to be done. That was seriously one of the hardest things I’ve done in years.

“That which doesn’t kill us…”
In running news, I’m ridiculously happy to report that today I managed to run the entire 5K (3.1 miles) without stopping! That is seriously, like, a Lifetime Best. My pace is still pretty slow, but at least I managed to finish. Only four more days til the race! I figure I’ll try to run the full distance again Thursday and Friday, and then take Saturday off to rest and hydrate. I’m still nervous, though. My registration stuff came in the mail today, with a map of the course, the T-shirt I ordered, and my official race number. (7929 in the hizzouse!) I guess I can’t back out now. I’ve caught myself secretly hoping for rain a few times. It’s not that I’m worried about physically being able to do it anymore. It’s more like I’m afraid I’ll chicken out mentally and end up being disappointed with myself. Snookums has been very encouraging and has promised to be there cheering me on. Today he even dangled the promise of a skiing weekend if I run the entire race! Mostly, though, I just want to make him proud of me. Being unemployed for eight months isn’t the best way to feel great about yourself. If I can do this, though, it’ll go a long way towards making this last year of upheaval and change feel like it’s heading in the best possible direction.

Good News Part Two. Last night at the gym I managed to run two and a half miles without stopping! I know that’s peanuts for some of you, but it’s a major personal best for me. My goal is to be able to run the entire Nike Women’s 5K (3.1 miles) next weekend. And I’m actually starting to think I might be able to do it! I have a few nagging concerns though:

• My pace is really pretty slow. (It’s more of a jog than a run.) I’m worried that when the race starts I’ll subconsciously speed up to keep up with the others and then burn out halfway through the course. I could wear a watch, I guess, and time each kilometer, but I’ll have run a fifth of the race before I’m able to adjust. I also thought of creating an iPod playlist of songs with beats at my running pace and just listening/running to that. What do you think?
• I run much, much better when I’m well hydrated. At the gym I drink frequently while I’m running. But how in the world do you carry water while you’re running?

Any advice would be appreciated!

I’m happy. I did five kilometers (just over three miles) on the treadmill today, and I actually ran about 90% of it. I’m doing the Nike Women’s Classic 5K Run next month and my goal is to run the whole thing without stopping. Do any of you runners have training tips for me? What’s the best way to build up your endurance for distance running? (Not that three miles is much for you folks, but it’s a hella long way for me.) Should I concentrate on running the distance faster, or is it better to work on running even farther and just expect the speed to come along with it?

Three-month gym membership: $150
Cute blue water bottle: $3
New sports bras: $30
Stepping out of the gym into the bright blue sunshine after having finished my workout, ran two miles, and lost half a kilogram, and thinking, “I am so proud of myself”: priceless

Nearly getting hit by a car because I’m so entranced by the idea of running home and blogging this right away: pretty damn embarrassing

Did I mention I joined a health club? I know, that sounds so ridiculous and posh coming from me, but I’m tired of sitting on my ass (literally) all day long and not feeling well. I’m hoping a little yoga and spinning and stair-climbing will shake me out of my stupor. Why don’t I just run in the park, you ask? Easy, because I loathe running with an all-consuming passion. The only time I could ever bring myself to do it was in tennis practice in high school, when our coach basically forced us to. Of course, that was the fittest I’ve ever been in my life. Could there be a connection? Nahhhh.