5k: Round Two

Two years ago, I did something that I had always wanted to do, I ran a 5k.  And I'm going to do it again.  Last year, being a new mom to two infants really lessened the amount of time I spent at the gym, but this year there is no excuse.  And I even have a friend running it with me!

I have been running at the gym, but not in any organized way.  So in order to feel ready for the race, I am running four days a week; three time on a treadmill and once on the track.  Each week I am increasing the distance that I'm running by .3 miles.  So last week I started by just running 2 miles, this week it's 2.3, next week it's 2.6 and so on.  My hope is to be running 4 to 4.5 miles at a time for at least two weeks before the race.  If you don't already know, 5k is only 3.1 miles.  I really want to run a good race, and beat my time from my first try, so if I'm running over 4 miles at a time on a regular basis, 3.1 shouldn't be a problem and hopefully I will be able to keep a good pace.

Once it gets nice, I'm hoping to run outdoors too.  I think there's a big difference between running outdoors, on a track and on a treadmill, and since the race is outdoors, I want to run outside as much as possible beforehand.

I know, you'd think I was running a marathon by how much I'm analyzing this, but I've never been much of a runner, so this little 5k is a big deal to me.  And if I can stay motivated, I might continue increasing my distance and maybe, just maybe run the 10k next year.  But I'm not getting my hopes up yet.

I do hope that the weather is nicer this year than it was two years ago.  Cold and rainy in May is not fun to run in.  But the race fee isn't refundable so I guess I'm doing it either way.  Hopefully Eric will be able to come down to watch me and maybe even take pictures.  Because who wouldn't want to see me gracefully galloping across the finish line huffing and puffing?