Today was cold. It was windy. It certainly didn't look anything like spring. But I stuck to my guns. No excuses.
My ankle and foot are still a bit sore, so I didn't want to push myself too hard or too far today.
I know when I start a workout in Zombies, Run! I absolutely despise not finishing. In fact, I've only done it once and only because my 4yo decided to have a total meltdown mid-run that necessitated an immediate return home. And once she was settled into her bed I left her in my husband's care and went right back out to finish what I started. So in the interests of listening to my body and taking it easy on my still-healing foot and legs I decided to skip running from the zombies for a day and go for a more free form walk/run instead.
I hit the track with one goal: to cover 5K in distance. No worries about pace or time and every intention of slowing down or even taking a break if I started hurting.
Not only did I cover that 5K without a break, I did it in a pretty solid time for me - 15 minutes, 36 seconds per mile on average.
For the first mile, I really didn't think I was going to make it. My ankle just isn't flexing normally yet and I had a hard time finding a comfortable stride. At the one mile mark I decided I'd just shoot for half the distance - 6 laps instead of 12.5. But by the time I hit that 6th lap I'd gotten into a pretty good routine, running 100 meters each lap and walking the other 300m. And before I knew it I was done, in just a hair over 50 minutes.
It isn't going to win any races but a 15 minute mile pace, sustained over the entire 3.1 mile distance, is my first major training goal. The minimum pacing requirement for Disney's 5K events as well as for several local races I am interested in is 16 minutes per mile, so training to 15 minute miles should give me enough of a cushion to work in water breaks and tying shoes and any other brief stops that might come up mid-race.
As I run more and walk less I'll obviously have to set a more lofty goal, but for a 200+ pound woman who is new to this whole running thing, 15 minutes per mile seemed a good place to start. And to be so close to that goal so early in my training is a real thrill!
Hi Colleen.. Nicole from the Disboards!! :) Great job with the blog! And I never heard of Zombie. Very interesting. I did C25K last year & this year I'm just kinda 'winging it'.
ReplyDeleteMy pace is slow -especially the longer I go. I see people post their 11:30 min miles for 4-5 miles & I'm like whoa!!!! Mine is a good 13:30 for a 3 mile & 14 for above that.
I hope to get to a point where I can do distance at 12 mim miles. Not sure that's reality though.
Hi Nicole! I think there's something to be said for winging it. I find my pace is quicker when I'm on my own, not when I'm sticking to an app's timing. On the track I'm running longer than the app tells me and measuring it in distance rather than time, which is faster than the timed intervals of a C25K workout. But the zombie game is a fun reason to get back out there when I'm just not in the mood.
ReplyDeleteI haven't set a long-term pace goal. Right now I'm just going day by day. I figure I'll work more on pace once I have the endurance piece of the puzzle pretty well in place.
Hi, Colleen - just found your blog from disboards (I'm anna_chronistic; I don't post much). I'm doing the Expedition Everest in May 2014, and I started running last month to begin training (yep, more than a year in advance). I'm determined to stick it out for the next year-plus ... and hopefully by then it'll be a lifestyle and I'll continue running. I'm enjoying your blog!
ReplyDeleteHi, Anna! I would love to do the EE race one of these days. It sounds like such fun but my little athletes keep me close to home in the spring... between two in baseball and two in track there's no escaping in May!
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping for the same thing with the training, that at some point it will become a lifestyle or at the very least a habit. I know a lot of people who started walking or running for a specific race goal and found it addictive, and I could certainly use an exercise addiction!