The Background Story

Ok, so recently my friend Vanessa and I did something crazy- we signed up for The Great Lakes Running Series consisting of 5 Winter Runs (runs are held at the end of each month from November - March).  Last Sunday, the 5K Elf Run, was the first of the series.  Overall, not bad.  Got a new PR (30:24) even with the temperatures only in the 20s.  It was sunny out and the roads were clear (meaning- no sight of snow yet!).  So weather-wise it was a great start to the series (minus the bouts of hatred I had for myself when I felt like dying or couldn't feel my thighs anymore).

So now a little clarification, I am not a runner.  Yet.  Up until recently I actually despised the idea of running.  If every piece of exercise equipment were full in the gym except for the treadmill then I'd forfeit the workout and go home.  In high school gym class we never really had to "run" the full mile...we'd jog a big while chatting with friends and then walk a lap, jog a bit, walk, etc.  So honestly the last time I actually had ran a full mile was probably in the 8th grade and I can guarantee you I hated every minute of it.  Throughout college and now my "adulthood" I found tons of enjoyment in taking workout classes like Zumba, Group Strength, Pilates and Spinnning but never did I ever consider 'going for a run.'

THEN before you knew it, I began to see things in a different light.  Maybe this is all results of me turning into a cougar (26!!) this past spring and realizing that I want to find a new hobby that doesn't cost much money, is good for me and that I can keep up with.  So this past fall I did the unthinkable- signed up for the Tosa Fest 5k with my friends Katie and Harley (who BTW are avid runners! ).  I was terrified!  The run was in 2 weeks and I couldn't even run a mile without stopping.  But because I had paid for this thing and had constant support and motivation from my friends I began training for my first 5K.  I started small and with something that seemed easy for me- try to run for 2 full songs without stopping and then I'd up it to 3 songs, 4 songs, etc.  I'd try and run every other day when possible and finally the Wednesday before the big Saturday run I completed my first 3.14miles ( I actually ran the race route that Wednesday before so I had no surprises while en route on race day).  This was HUGE for me since my ultimate goal for my first race was to be able to complete it without walking and now I've done it so now I just need to be able to do it again...

Well, I was able to do it with my first race coming in at 33:33.  It was rough, not gonna lie, but it was nice having Katie and Harley stick with me for the moral support.  And the best part was when the finish line was in eyesight along with our friends cheering us on (oh, and the beer tent!).  Race 1 complete.

Onto Race 2!  The second race I did, the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5K, was a mere 2 weeks after my first one.  So not much time for any major improvements but my goal was to run this next race feeling more comfortable.  Harley, being a good sport, ran this run with me again.  This event wasn't chip timed due to the large crowd it drew (over 10,000 people!) but it was an amazing run to participate in and witness.  I mean, we were coming up on our second mile and people were still just crossing the starting line to begin the race!  I achieved my goal- finished the race feeling much better (but def still room for improvement) and knocking about a minute off of my time.

Race 3!  The third race I did, the Lakefront Discovery Run 5K, with my friend Vanessa (and this was her first race!  I successfully converted her to becoming a runner with me about a month prior to the run!) held on 10.30.10 (a month after my second race).  This was going to be a "fun run" since being so close to Halloween we were encouraged to dress in costume.  Our "costumes" consisted of tall socks, tutus and sweatbands.  I'll see if I can post a pic later (still learning how this whole "blogging" thing works...).  Now not gonna lie, I was pretty intimidated to run with Vanessa even though it was her first race.  This girl is super fit!  She seriously is Superwoman.  Every morning she gets up at 4:45AM, goes to a Bootcamp Class, gets ready for work, works, goes home, makes dinner, squeezes in a run when she needs to and then plays with her 4 year old daughter til bedtime.  I get exhausted just writing about it!  Vanessa did great and I was able to stick with her!  My new race time was 31:33!

And just 5 days ago I completed my 4th race which I discussed way up at the beginning of this entry.  Now having 4 5Ks  and a solid 3 months of regular runs under my belt, I'm taking on a new challenge: a 10K!  It's the Run Into the New Year 10K on December 31st.  I figured what a great way to end 2010!

So now it's time to get serious.  Not only do I need to increase my mileage in the next month but by tomorrow we are expected to have 7" of snow on the ground making my Saturday run my first run in the snow...eeek!  Oh yeah, this whole idea of running being an inexpensive sport has also started to take a little toll on my bank account.  You need quite the gear to run comfortably and safely in this much colder weather! Hopefully my investment in these new running clothes keeps me motivated to keep up with my winter runs!

Alright.  I promise you all my blog entries will not be this long!  And I'll get more into depth what my training schedule is like, how I feel, what I was able to accomplish, etc. in my upcoming blogs.  I just needed to write this first really, really long entry to give you a bit of my background. 

Thanks for reading and remember I'm not a writer, so don't judge my writing skills! Ha!

Until next time!