Archive for the ‘5K’ Category

  • 24 May

    Posted by
    Jillian Frank


    Category

    Not a Fluke

    4

    You know it’s said that a mother could lift a car if her child was stuck underneath it? Well, upon reflection, that’s how I felt on Friday when I ran my first 5K. I thought it was a fluke; that it was the adrenaline of trying to complete 5K for the first time that got me across the finish line. (Well, adrenaline and not wanting to embarrass myself in front of my neighbor.) But I was wrong. I did it again this evening.

    My best friend Lauren told me that it would get easier each time I ran the 3.1 miles after the first time. She was wrong. Tonight I felt like I was going to keel over and die for nearly the entire run. However, I beat Friday’s time of 31:49. Today I ran it in 30:58. I only walked twice and for a very, very short distance each time.

    When I walked through my front door, I was sweating in places I didn’t know had the capacity to produce sweat. I was so hot that I kept sweating as I took the coldest shower ever. Now that I’m done for the night–done with running, with showering, with eating dinner–I feel great. My legs and knees and back don’t hurt like the did last time. I know I’ll be sore tomorrow, but I doubt I’ll feel as bad as I did when Saturday morning rolled around.

    So, here’s to me! I’m a 5K runner now! Watch out!

  • 22 May

    Posted by
    Jillian Frank


    Category

    Cross Training

    0

    This morning I’m going to hook the bike trailer up to my bike and ride to our local food co-op and to Downtown Evanston’s Farmers’ Market. It probably won’t add up to much more than five miles round trip, but I’m going to count it as cross training. So there.

  • 21 May

    Posted by
    Jillian Frank


    Category

    Chafing

    4

    Note: Asking your marathon-running friend to go for a jog with you (you being an out of shape and exhausted mother) will inevitably end with you vomiting. Just sayin’…

    This afternoon, I asked my friend (the marathon runner) if she wanted to go for a jog with me. I was thinking of running the same route I had run previously. She had other plans. Right before we were about to take our first strides, she suggests we do 5K (running and walking when needed) so that, you know, I have some sort of baseline for my training. I agreed, yelled to Josh that I’d see him in a few days, and we started off.

    The short of the story is that I completed the 5K in 31:49. For those of you counting, that works out to being just over a 10-minute mile pace. I needed to walk maybe 3 different times, but we didn’t walk for very long or very far. We ran (as opposed to jogged) the last tenth of a mile or so. It was hard. And I’m tired now, but overall I feel good. I’m glad I pushed myself. I’m glad I proved to myself that I can run for distance if I really try. Sure, my knees are killing me and my back hurts and my fat thighs are chafed from rubbing together, but I think that’s all to be expected.

    SO… here’s hoping that I can keep it up, that it isn’t another five days before I get out for another run. Oh, by the way– feel free to leave comments of encouragement and praise. I’m not above begging for recognition.

  • 16 May

    Posted by
    Jillian Frank


    Category

    10-Minute Miles

    2

    Today I ran 1.8 miles in 18 minutes. It was hard, but not horrible. I’m going to try running the same route for the next week and then try to up my mileage a bit.

    Keep me accountable, okay?

  • 14 May

    Posted by
    Jillian Frank


    Category

    If Only I had Some Self-Discipline

    1

    I haven’t done any real training for the 5K I will run sometime in the not-too-far-off future in nearly three weeks. Today I biked 10 miles (not all at once) and ran 1.2 miles.

    Noting all I did today and taking into consideration the fact that I also just bought new 125-dollar running shoes, I think that if I had any real discipline or drive, I’d be able to run 5K in no time.

    Knowing me (and hey, I do know me), I’ll never get around to actually training. I’ll run in bursts of two or three days at a time, and then I’ll spend the following two weeks lazin’ around on my ass.

    I need some motivation. Not even my much-too-small-for-my-ginormous-thighs jeans seem to be doing the trick. Help.

  • 15 Apr

    Posted by
    Jillian Frank


    Category

    5K

    2

    Within a few days of Jude self-weaning (at least it seemed to happen that quickly), my jeans ceased to fit. Well, ok, I can still get them on and button them, (if I pre-stretch them and force my fatty thighs into them all sausage-like) but they don’t fit well. In other words: I’ve gained weight. Also, boo.

    Some of the weight gain can be attributed to the fact that Jude isn’t nursing any more. Some can be blamed on my cake-eating habit. And finally, some is most certainly due to my lack of moving. Sure, I’ve got two herniated discs, but honestly, I’m just a bit lazy. Josh and I joined a gym in January, and I’ve gone a few time since then, but overall, I just can’t get myself there. So, after a particularly bad day of hating feeling and looking the way I do, I decided to train for a 5K. Yes, that means I only have to run a little over 3 miles, but for me, it’s a lot. When I was running daily, before I got pregnant, the farthest I could run at a clip was about a mile and a half. Now I need to double that distance.

    Yesterday I woke up and ran 1.1 miles. I spent the rest of the day really engaging with Jude and his friends, running around and getting some additional exercise. Today I’m going to skip running, but tomorrow morning I’ll try to run the same 1.1 mile route again.

    If I can run the 5K in June, then I’ll continue training for a 10K in the early fall. Hopefully all this running will help me get back into my jeans. Wish me luck, K?