Newman High School Friends & Family 5K

Posted on May 18, 2013 by Jan

I finally ran my second 5K of the year. I am going to have to do some serious racing to get 13 races in this year, but I think I can do it. I updated my schedule today. I actually have 14 planned for the year. I am not adding up all of those entry fees and mileage. Luckily, since I do all small, local races, the money always goes to a good cause.

Today I ran the Newman High School Friends & Family 5K. The race really did feel like family. Everyone was so friendly and it was a lot of fun. I ran the first two miles with a woman from the next town over. She races a lot and usually finishes slightly faster than I do, so I now know who I need to try to hang with if I see her again. It was fun chatting through the first couple of miles. It was an out and back course, and she knew most of the participants. She kept a steady pace and I died the last mile, so she finished a minute or so ahead of me. I also bumped into two current students and one past one, so it was fun to see them.

I did not P.R. today, nor am I happy with my time. I was doing okay the first two miles, but then I got really hot. It was only in the 70′s or low 80′s, but it was SO muggy and the last half-mile was in the sun, a bit uphill, into the wind. I am not sure if it’s not being used to the heat yet or the fact that I haven’t been training as hard of late, or both, but I finished in 27:30-something. Really that is ridiculous, because just a month ago I ran two minutes faster than that in cold weather with hills.

Despite my turtle run, I got this:

Do I have to tell you that I was the only runner in my age group? Oh good, I won’t. Nevermind that sentence.

I have a new plan, a more manageable one. I will be hitting the 5K’s hard this summer. A couple of my goal races are 5-milers or 2-milers, but they are mostly 5K’s. I am going to do the Run Like a Mother 5K Own It Plan.

According to the book, it’s best for experienced runners looking for PR’s who can already run 5 miles comfortably and have a base of at least 15-20 miles a week. I don’t think I should share the whole plan since it’s not online anywhere, but here is week 1, just to give you an idea:
Monday – easy 4 miles + 4 strides
Tuesday – easy 3 miles (optional)
Wednesday – cross train (AKA sit on the couch longer than normal)
Thursday – 1 mile warm-up, 4×400 at current 5K race pace w/ 400 recovery, 1 mile cool down
Friday – easy 3 miles
Saturday – long run: 5 miles
Sunday – rest

It’s a vigorous plan without being TOO much. I’m hoping it will be a nice balance between no plan at all and the too-time-consuming half-marathon plan. It has some optional workouts, which will be nice. It’s 10 weeks long with a goal 5K at the end, but I’ll just keep doing 5K’s throughout. We’ll see if my times improve! In order to do a 5K almost every week, I will replace the speed work or the tempo run (tempo runs are in other weeks) with a 5K. I’m also going to hit the trails at least once a week, maybe for my long runs. I’m definitely going to be flip-flopping a lot of days, but I think I can make a slightly modified plan work just perfectly.

Anyone else tried this plan? Anyone else race today?

The Run I Needed

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Jan

The last few weeks of school are kicking my butt.

It happens every year. The last 2-3 weeks of the year are the longest weeks in the history of weeks. If you are a teacher, you’re nodding along right now, too tired to do much else. Oh, the fatigue.

The kids are tired too. The problem is that kids don’t get lethargic when they’re tired of something. They get crazy. They are tired of school, but excited for summer, and that combination is lethal.

You know how in movies they torture spies by beating them until they give up information? Well, I have a different idea. How about you plop that spy right in the middle of a classroom the last week or two of school. Make them sit there and tell them they can’t leave until they spill it. They’d give it up in less than a minute. Less than a minute, you say? That is not long at all. If you are saying this, you haven’t been in a classroom this time of year. A minute is a VERY. LONG. TIME. Especially between 3:00-3:05.

I am being melodramatic (shocker). The truth is I am feeling a myriad of emotions. I am very sad to be spending what are my last days with this 8th grade class. I’ve mentioned before that I really enjoy working with them. As much as I love summer, I love the routine and structure of my job. I love TEACHING.

Despite a bit of extra craziness, they are pretty much holding it together. They are working hard on argumentative essays, and I am proud of their progress. I have been doing writer’s workshop with them the last couple of months and I have really loved that switch. Sometime when I’m not so exhausted I’ll tell you all about it and how it works.

Anyhow, in my exhaustion I’m really not hitting the main idea of this post, which is that my running is not exactly up to par of late. It started with me skipping the half marathon last Sunday, which I was quite at peace with. It was 38 degrees that morning. I also skipped the 5K that I was thinking of doing instead. I did run at the park that day, but then I didn’t run again until last night. I can’t even remember the last time I took two days off in a row without a good reason.

Last night, I ran 5 miles with Campbell in the stroller. We left shortly before 8, and it was magical. Magical even though I swallowed 4 bugs and my dog went ape-$*#@ over two deer that crossed the road. A cool evening, a beautiful sunset, calm winds, it was truly one of those runs that I didn’t want to end. I needed that to happen. I ran, last night, because I love running. I was reminded why I love it so. Ahhhhh.

I now remember what I didn’t like about half marathon training the last time–it makes running seem like a chore. One more thing to do, one more thing to try to schedule. I know without some tough workouts I won’t progress in my running, but I know I’m not the type to enjoy the vigor of a strict training plan, either. I struggle to find the balance.

The end of the school year is kind of like the end of the half marathon training plan. You kind of forget what you loved about it in the first place. It becomes a chore. You need a break. And then, something happens to remind you that you love it. You know the runner’s high? Well, there are teachers’ highs too. They come from a lesson that goes well, a student’s work, a class discussion, a conversation with a co-worker. They remind us of all that we love about the job. Just like with running, with teaching, I take the good with the bad. In both, I’m extremely lucky to have more good.

Random

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Jan

Lots of things make me happy today.

1. My lower abs are a tiny bit sore. I guess it really does take over 24 hours for delayed-onset muscle soreness to occur. It’s not the “ooh I worked HARD” soreness I was hoping for, but probably because I didn’t work that hard. The other thing that is a tiny bit sore is the arches of my feet, which is probably from running backwards? I’m not sure. Still, my workout is confirmed now that I’m sore.

2. When Campbell puts bananas on her head and says she has “‘nana hair”.