Resolution No. 16 done in 42 minutes

I finished my first 5K this morning. It's something I've always wanted to do, but I've never entered one because I think I had some concerns left over from my really nonathletic days in high school when I used to be the last one to finish the mile in PE.

So when I added a 5K as one of my resolutions (No. 16) in January, I planned to enter one in July so I would have six months to train. I started out doing 10 minutes on the treadmill and my plan was to add three minutes a week to build up my time and endurance. But about six weeks ago, my mom's coworker mentioned the Wildflower Run in Morgan Hill. It sounded like a good run to start since it has a flat surface and a place that is cool in the mornings. But it was four months ahead of my plan. I immediately amped up my training. The first week I ran two miles on the treadmill. The next week I ran 30 minutes, or about 2.5 miles. Then the week after I went for 3.1 miles just to see if I could do it. I reserved my running for Friday and Sunday, but never got around to running outdoors.

I had two people tell me that running outside is a lot harder than on a treadmill. I haven't run outdoors since I was in college and the main reason I stopped was that my allergies really act up outside. One person said she thought it was easier to run outdoors because you get into a rhythm more easily than when you try to stay in the center of a treadmill.

I eventually worked my way up to 3.1 miles in 40 minutes and I've been doing that on Sundays, with a 20 min. run on Fridays. I felt well prepared for the morning run/walk. I made a mix of fast tempo songs to help pace myself and keep me motivated during the trek. I skipped the gym this morning, but warmed up with a mile walk with the dog at the park. I had a bottle of water to keep hydrated.

At 9:15, the 5K started and I encountered my first issue with running outdoors. For some reason, my yoga pants kept slipping down for the first 10 minutes on the run so I kept having to hike them up. Eventually they started staying up on their own. I have to agree with the people who said running outdoors is harder than running on a treadmill, since I had to stop a few more times than when I run inside. And my nose started running thanks to allergies. The mile markers were helpful to keep track of how far I had left and as I came up to the finish line I tried to pick up my pace. I didn't notice what time I crossed the finish line, but it was some time between 42-43 minutes - just a few minutes off my 40-minute goal.

After I finished, I walked back the way I came to meet my mom who was walking the 5K. She wasn't far back, about 10 minutes behind me. The best part of this run is the free Jamba Juice offered at the finish line, along with the oranges and trail mix. And, of course, I have my green "finisher" ribbon - perhaps my first "award" for any athletic event ever.

I am ready to sign up for the next 5K, maybe one at the end of May. Now that I have a time, I can set a goal to improve it a little with each run.

Resolution No. 16 set for March

I always joke with my coworkers that I don't do things if I am not good at them. And there is a little bit of truth to that. Singing karaoke - no thanks. Crossword puzzles - ditto. I stick with the things when I know I have the competitive edge.

So it's a bit out of character for me to be signing up for a 5K since I've never been much of a runner. The problem is not that I don't think I could finish a 5K at a slow pace - I work out quite a bit at the gym and walk a mile a day with the dog - but that I don't want to be the last person across the finish line. I know I will never be the first person across the finish line, but I'd like to end up somewhere in the middle of the group.

When I first started seriously thinking about a doing a 5K in January, I figured I'd do the Stinkin' Roses Run, which is during the summer. I figured it would give me plenty of time to start working up to a faster pace for the three-mile trek. I've been doing just that, using a program on the treadmill at the gym twice a week, and adding on one minute each workout. It's a program that goes 3.8 miles at the fastest pace, but is on an incline so I figured once I got on flat terrain I would be better conditioned to run at a faster pace.

But then someone my mom works with started talking about a Wildflower Walk in March. They have a group of people, most of who I know, signed up already. They talked my mom and I into registering for it. So now I have a month to prep.

Today at the gym I tried to see how long it would take me to run a mile at a faster, flat pace. I set the treadmill on a 5K run setting and it started out well. But soon the treadmill was kicking the speed up to 6.6 miles and I couldn't keep up. I slowed it down to 5.3, ran for about 10 minutes, then slowed down for a couple minutes and speed up again. I ran 1.5 miles in 21 minutes, which should be quite an accomplishment considering how out of shape I was a few months ago. But I am not sure it's enough for my competitive streak.

I'll just have to continue the training and see how it goes. And maybe I'll just plan to beat my time in the March run at the July one to fulfill my need to do everything well.