Thursday, May 5, 2011

YIKES. I haven't posted in a month!!!

Wow.  Where did the time go?  So much has happened that I don't know where to start?

First, let me tell you that I got through the entire Lenten season without stepping on the scale.  It felt great.  I didn't gain any weight, in fact, I lost a few pounds.  I'm now a weekly weigher, just to keep track of where I am.  It was a great experience to let go of the scale and focus more on what my body needs.  I'm glad I did it.  That demon has been banished, at least for now.

Running.  Yes, I'm still running.  In fact, after I finish this post, I plan on heading out for a short, easy run today.  I'm trying to find a balance of speed work, distance runs and just plain "fun" runs that will both meet my fitness goals and make me a better runner.  I'm not ready to take on a training plan.  I feel like the structure of the training is not what I want right now.  So for the time being, I'm just finding my own way.

The good news is that I ran a PR in the "Race for Hope" on Sunday.  I finished the 5K in 31:35, which is fast for me!  I have never broken the 32 minute mark before.  I do have to qualify that the weather was perfect (50 and cloudy with little to no wind) and the course was flat as a pancake.  However, I did run faster than I have ever run in a race before and was pretty steady the whole race.

I ran as part of "Team Nancy".  A girl that my daughter, Jessica, went to school with lost her mother to a brain tumor this past year.  Ashley is a senior in High School and organized this team to raise money for Brain Cancer research and to raise awareness.  That made the race very meaningful.  It was a great event and raised a lot of money ($2.5 Million).  There were so many people.  I was impressed by all of the Survivors that ran in the race.  It was heartwarming to see the yellow shirts.  I ran most of the way with an 8 year old boy and his Dad.  The boy was a survivor.  His energy was contagious and his smile when he finished, priceless.  I also saw David Cook, an American Idol Winner who lost his little brother to a brain tumor, run past me.  He was the Honorary Chair of the Event, but is also an avid runner.  Here is a photo of "Team Nancy".  Ashley made us the shirts.


Yesterday, I did a 3 mile tempo run at the same pace I ran my 5K at.  I was pleased to see that I could translate this speed to the treadmill.  It was a great workout, too.

Today is a beautiful spring day.  I plan to go out for an easy run around the neighborhood.  I think I deserve it.  Just a run to enjoy the day and get some exercise.

Saturday, it's off to Nashville.  I'm toying with the idea of running the Country Music Half Marathon next year.  I ran 7.2 miles of the course when I was out to visit Jessica at Easter.  I hope to run the other half of the course, this visit.  I'm not sure I'm ready for such a hilly and long event, but it's a year away.  I wasn't even running this time last year so who knows!