Turkey Trot

So this was what I originally selected as my first 5K.
The hardest part was the 15 minutes before the race started.  I wore my treksports with socks and it was again, like 15F and I think I stepped in a bit of slush.  My toes were frozen until like the first mile in.  It was also a good bit slippery on the roads.  I've learned that my short forefoot running(as you're supposed to from everything I've read) is the best way to handle the slippery stuff.

I kept my pace around 9 minutes as I wanted to beat my last time.

Had some more side pains for a while.  Tried the breathing on the opposite side foot plant which helps, but it was difficult to keep the breathing going enough, fast enough, etc.

But overall not bad.  Probably should have kicked in the finish line sprint sooner, but it went well and a new PR!
And I got my first Technical shirt.

Place

Name

City

Bib No

Age

Gender

Age Group

Div

Chip Time

Gun Time

Pace

217

Smith Levi

Avoca NY

334

37

M

43 30-49

5k

28:34

28:52

9:19/M

Onederland

Just entered Onederland at 199.8lbs

My first 5K

November 3rd, 2013.  My first 5K.
Originally I had planned on the Turkey Trot being my first 5K.  But I couldn't wait.
So I signed up for the 5K Chili Challenge in Ithaca.

This was a mixed bag.
For me, it was great.  I made a goal of running it under 30 minutes and I did it(faster than I had done it in training, though I was shaving minutes off my time).  And that was before I thought about this 5K being in a state park with some hills, off-road and even a few sets of icy stairs over a bridge!

Though, it was also rough the last bit.  It was an interesting course route.  I thought it was going well, but that last like half mile...  Wow, I was TIRED and I could have sworn it was more than a mile...  But I made it, even getting a bit of a sprint in the last bit!

But, we signed up the whole family for it and that was a bit rough.  It was somewhere in the neighborhood of 15F with wind and blowing snoy/icy stuff.  Sara was walking with the stroller and the girls and as I suspected, MaKenzie was not happy with it after not that long.

So after I finished, I went back and found the girls and carried Kenzie, but it was just too long out there and too cold.  Kenzie was screaming most of the time.  And there was a good bit of Chaos in the van afterwards.  We did get a few cups of chili though, and we all got our chili pepper necklaces for medals.

Place

Bib

Name

Gender

Race

Time

63

115

Levi Smith

Male

5K

29:48.3

10K training

Well, it seems I'm exceeding the 5K training, so I'm starting the 10K training.  I think there are a few weeks of overlap around here where I'm picking either program for the workout of the day.

Broke my previous weight record

Logged in at 210.2lbs  Breaking my previous 212lb weight loss record from maybe almost a decade ago.

I run my personal 5K.

This is the first time I complete a 5K around Shawmut.  I'm sure I walked some, but I keep an 11:40 pace.  Not bad for this complete newb....

It looks like in the week or so since I learned I could run, I've also already signed up for the Runkeeper 5K training program.  I'm also exceeding it since they don't yet have us going 3.11 miles.

I think the first few weeks I was also trying the Couch to 5K program and sometimes doing one or the other program for my running.  I ended up liking the Runkeeper training better with some intervals, and some other sorts of training days.

The one where I find out I can run.

Now, up to this point, I've just been walking, maybe some hiking around the lawn, maybe a rare bike ride.

But...  I've gotten bored with my walks around town during lunch or... Who knows.  But I just kinda feel like there's a bit more there...  And I've taken brief bouts...  Maybe a minute or two at a time...  And run on the one deserted street that I walk...

And it's not that bad...

By this point I may also have gotten to where I've run a few short bits around Shawmut...

So one day...

I go crazy...

I go out to Shawmut Park early with no one around and I just try to run.

Holy crap.  I am amazed...  I run more than 2 miles non stop with a 10 minute, 40 second per mile average.

Who the hell is this guy?  It can't be me...  At this point, it looks like I'm down to about 218lbs.

It's been a crazy ride, but I'm just baffled at the fact that I'm losing weight and I can run...  Just can't be true.