Saturdays of firsts and 8m short of a new PB!

[nomoresloth]

Last week was a very tough one. Very important final exam on Wednesday so hardly any sleep the days before and thus a missed run on Tuesday (I hate to miss runs!). Due to the lack of sleep I had some perception disorders (everything was very slow and some things were moving although they definitely shouldn't do so...it's hard to walk along a hallway that is constantly shifting from the left to the right ) and preferred to sleep and not to run. So my next run was on Thursday. It was not extraordinary good but ok.

Now to my Saturdays of firsts:

Saturday two weeks ago: First time Speed podcast (surprisingly good)

Last Saturday: First run on a treadmill ( A very cheap but good gym opened straight across the street so my BF and I became members. My BF told the trainer that I and my success with C25K inspired him to become more active which is something he has never said before. I never had the feeling he was extremely interested in my running although he asks about my runs. Hearing that I inspired him was... well... I got a little emotional about this (inside, I didn't start crying). He won't start running but he starts to enjoy exercise (at the moment its cycling) On Saturday it was raining heavily so I decided to sprint across the street and go for a run on the treadmill. I had to figure out how fast I could go for some minutes and ended up at a comfy pace of 9.3. I tend not to run straight but a bit to the left and to the right so I have to concentrate to stay on the belt. It took me 35:05 minutes to cover the 5K which is pretty ok as I ran for about 10 minutes at a pace of 8.5 before I was brave enough to set a faster pace)

Next Saturday: First official run (5k). Park Runs don't exist where I live so there are hardly any opportunities to do an official run that is not longer than 5k. This run is the "Run of Colours" and is a charity run for the AIDS Service Organization of my city so I can run for something that is really important. I'm sooooo nervous.... I've ran 5k so many times but nevertheless it makes me nervous. It will also be my first run with other people so: aaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!!

Oh and besides my new gym training (three times a week) I continue with my three runs a week. Sometimes I do the trainings on different days so I'm active every day and sometimes, like today, I go for a run and go to the gym straight after my run. It's so lovely to live next to the gym as I can always check from my living room window if it is very crowded or if the machines I want to use are free

And my most surprising result for today:

I thought it would be a bad run as my breathing was heavy and I felt very slow but I did 4.992km in 31:45 minutes (average pace of 6:21 minutes/km)! This means I just ran 8 meters short for the 5k (unfortunately I had to stop or I would have crashed into a tram). I did some calculations and found out that I would have hit the 5k at 31:50 minutes which is 3 seconds off my PB!!! I wish the tram hadn't been there...

Thank you for reading this slightly confused post I had the need to put so much into it so the logic might suffer a bit

Happy running to everyone and keep going as every run can turn into a great one although it doesn't feel so at the beginning

PS: I'm really getting nervous on the 5k run on Saturday. I've never run with any company especially not with a few hundred other runners... Does anyone have tips for me for this situation? I'm worried that I might be tempted to go too fast or to have to go very slow due to slower runners...

[notbad Graduate]

Oh gosh, I did get a chuckle about the tram, that was one PB you did well to miss!

As goes running with others I'd say it's possible you might get slowed at the beginning but it will probably thin out soon enough, then you can get your rhythm. Best of luck, although you won't need it sounds like you're more than ready. Hope you'll let us know how you get on.

[nomoresloth Graduate in reply to notbad]

Yeah, I thought a new "real" PB (not just a calculated one) wouldn't be worth the intimate hug with the tram But I still count it as a new PB as I only missed 8m and I could definitely have done them within the 5 seconds I added to my real time for 4.992k.

Perhaps it's not bad if I get slowed at the beginning. I might go too fast so this could help me find my rhythm. I also have to repeat to myself that its not a race. I'm really looking forward to the run and will let definitely write about it

[c4ts Graduate]

Do not go out too fast as the crowd can pull you along too quickly at the start, but just try to get into your normal running breathing pattern and then just keep going, very soon it will not be crowded.

Enjoy yourself and let us know how you get on!!

[nomoresloth Graduate in reply to c4ts]

I'll give my very best to stay calm and steady I checked the results from last years run and there were some ladies up to 12 minutes slower than my normal 5k time so there should be a nice mixture of fast and slow runners. It's also a run where many people start in disguise so it'll probably be fun to be among all those ballerinas and vikings (with tutus)

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

Congratulations on inspiring the BF. Keep going and I am sure you will get him running soon.

As for running with other people, the temptation to go off fast is best resisted. In the first kilometre, check that your breathing is about as you would expect if you were running 5k by yourself, this means you are pacing about right and should allow you to maintain the pace and possibly have something in reserve for the rush to the line, says the man who has done one Park Run. That will be my strategy next time, anyway.

Good luck on the run and I hope you enjoy it.

[nomoresloth Graduate in reply to IannodaTruffe]

I'm so happy that I inspired him I hope he starts running one day but he still has to lose some stones to make it more healthy for his joints. He really does well on the bicycle so that's a good start.

I will follow your advice as I still remeber your blog on your last Park Run. I try to ignore the crowds around me and if the strategy works, I'll tell you for your next run