Full disclosure...this is going to be a long post as I reflect on the past year :-)
Last year at this time I had been going to a great, small, family owned gym. But since it was family owned they closed on holiday weekends. Needing to do some kind of workout while the gym was closed I decided to try running again because I had really been missing it.
It had been almost a year since the last time I ran. That was with a running group, where I pushed myself too hard and ended up with a migraine (I get exercise-induced migraines when I push myself too hard with any type of exercise/activity).
But I went out and ran, I don't remember how far or how long, but I know it felt GOOD. I decided it was time to try running again and see if I could manage it without getting a migraine.
I started with the Couch 2 5K program which I had used successfully in the past. As I progressed through the program I really started to struggle with it. I guess because I was older, and also no longer running on the beach with cool breezes (that's where I first started running years ago), I had a hard time with the longer run segments.
That's when I discovered Jeff Galloway's Run/Walk program. I am not being overly dramatic when I say this program was LIFE CHANGING! I loved having set walking segments to rest and keep my energy up.
What I did not do was fully follow the program though. According to my pace I should have been doing 30 seconds running followed by 30 seconds walking. I could run 5 minutes at a time though so I decided to do 4 minutes running with 1 minute walking breaks.
Initially this seemed to work well for me.
Since I had already done 5Ks in my running life I decided to challenge myself with a 10K. I picked out one for that September. It was the Hooter's to Hooter's 10K in Clearwater, FL. I thought that would be a great race to do since it was in a town I loved and it was my and Tim's anniversary weekend so we could get away for our anniversary too.
It was a TOUGH race. I made 2 big mistakes.
#1 - I started out way too fast
#2 - I discovered 4:1 was the wrong run/walk time for me
I was so happy to be done, but I was wiped out!
The plus side was that I was determined to run more and just days after this race I signed up for my first half marathon - the Disney Princess Half the following February.
I went back and read some more of Jeff Galloway's books and decided to change my run/walk times to 2:1.
That worked great for me!
I also signed up for a couple of 5Ks so that I could practice running in a race atmosphere and NOT start out too fast.
My next 5K was my local Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day. I was recovering from a pulled hamstring muscle for that race so I knew going in that I would not be setting any PRs. So I really went into this race just doing it for fun. And it was a GREAT race! My time was slow (about 42 minutes), but I had so much fun just enjoying the event that I can't wait to do it again this year.
Training continued, even through some COLD weather. Even though I live in FL, I live in the center of the state so we don't get the benefit of ocean/gulf weather keeping it warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. We do get several nights of below freezing temps each year. So I bundled up in the mornings and continued with my runs. And still no migraines :-)
January came and it was time for another 5K. Having no injuries I planned this race carefully. I was going to start slower until the turn around (it was an out and back course) and then pick up the pace for the second half. This was also a local race, the Ocala Marathon/Half Marathon/5K. I already knew that in 2013 I'd be doing the 5K but in 2014 I would do the Half.
This was another great race, despite having LOTS of hills. I think I was truly learning to enjoy the experience. I took about 3 minutes off my last 5K time - woohoo!
I was nervous and excited. Overall it was a great experience. I was so happy to have done this race as my first half. It was a tough race because I had been training in cold weather (as had everyone else since this was in February), but that weekend it decided to be really warm. The pre-race temp was in the 60s and close to 100% humidity - welcome to crazy Central Florida weather!
It was really, really crowded, to the point that I found it hard to run during my run segments. But the good news is that it kept me from going too fast. I finished in 3:25, which was actually 5 minutes faster than my anticipated finish time - yay!
Now that I have had this experience I probably won't be doing another Disney race. They are just too crowded and too expensive. I'm starting to learn I like smaller races better.
About a week after this race was my 46th birthday, and that's when the Run 50 By 50 concept was born.
I am now 3 races into it, and my 4th race is a virtual 10K that will be completed sometime this month.
It's been a fun, challenging, life-changing year and I wouldn't change a single minute of it. I can't wait to see what this next year brings me.
And of course, I couldn't have done any of this without Tim's support. He is my biggest cheerleader and the best photographer, and I am very fortunate to have him as my partner in life.
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