Last weekend…
I don’t know if I told you that I took up running again. As much as it frustrates me with how slow I go, I just have to remind myself that I am still doing something. I just like the feeling of breathing easier after every run. I love that feeling in my lungs!
This weekend, amidst the heat and humidity, Rob and I ran the Chocolate 5k around Lake Como in St. Paul. We’ve done this track before for the Challenge Obesity 5k {which has since been moved farther north}. However, this trail was a bit different. We didn’t run on the walking trail which is closest to the lake, but the biking trail, farther out. The posted results seem skewed, even though they said they were accounting for the fact that the finish line was really 3.5 miles and they had a separate mat at the 3.1 mile mark. Still my 5k app and Garmin have my 5k right around 45 minutes, while their results are like 8 minutes longer. I don’t get it.
That is soooo incredibly slow, even for slow me! Here’s the steamy after photo:
My worst 5k run was 38:40. So, 45 minutes is a jump.
Here is a list of my 5k race results (the ones I’ve run) for my own personal comparison:
I have to take into account that all of those were in 2012 when I was in the throes of running and before back surgery. And now that I look a bit further, I have only run one in one other 5k race completely since and that was in 2014, about a year after surgery and that one was higher yet at 42:40.
But it was hot; it was humid and I told myself to keep it slow and keep running under a target 5 Heart Rate Zone. I wanted to enjoy the run – the oxygen circulating through my lungs. I didn’t want to feel frustrated or like I was going to pass out or that I had started off too fast like I did when I did a trial 5k run earlier in the week. And truth be told, my only struggle was a small hill.
I would like to say I ran the whole thing, but I did stop to walk for a water break half-way through. I normally don’t hydrate during a 5k, only before and after. But it was just too hot not to so.
And while running, I did not partake in any of the Ghirardelli chocolate that was being passed out on 4 different occasions on the course. It just didn’t sound good to me at the time. {I know! Me and chocolate!} I also didn’t want to take it and just hold it until the end because I knew it would just melt in my palm!
I did, however partake in the Choc-ola after the race!
The night before, I was up from 12:30pm until 4am, too. It wasn’t due to nerves about the race, but first because I was hot, then because Rob was snoring, then because of the dogs keeping me tucked in. I started to read because that usually helps me get back to sleep. It didn’t.
No matter what, I’m glad I did it.
We followed up with brunch at the French Hen and a couple of beers at The Gnome. I followed that up by a 2 1/2 hour nap! Then it was off to dinner with the girls… more on that to come!
Sunday was busy, too… with a 5-hour trip down to Iowa to pick up this pretty little thing:
Meet Phoebe, my friend Kim’s new Shih Tzu! There’ll be more cuteness to follow on a Sophie and Sham Saturday, I’m sure!
How did you fill your weekend?
Cheers~
Carrie
Season It Already! 