So in 2 days, I have my first 5k, and wouldn't you know it, I woke up Tuesday and had caught the cold that had plagued Rachel and Max the week before. Been loading up on Vitamin C and drinking lots of fluids to try to get rid of it. So far this has helped, but I still don't feel great.
I went on a run with Shawn on Tuesday and it was an eye opening experience. Could have been because I wasn't feeling well, but Shawn ran a lot faster than me. He was running a sub 9:00 mile which really winded me. I kept up with him for a little over 2 miles, then broke off from him. I ended up doing about 2 1/2 miles then stopped. According to Nike+ my pace was 8:55 a mile. I think when I was running with Shawn, we were running even faster. The last 1/2 mile or so, I ran at my own pace of about 10:00 a mile. I think when I was running the first 2 miles with Shawn, we were running closer to an 8:00 pace.
I found this to be both frustrating and promising. If I was able to maintain this pace for 2 miles, it means that overtime, I can maintain this pace for 3 miles and run a 5k in about 25 minutes. Coincidentally, I ran another mile after about a 5 minute breather. I tried to slow my pace back down to around 10 minutes per mile, but I had trouble doing so. I had to stop a few times and walk a bit. I ended up doing the 1.05 miles in 10:28.
I went over to Lake Ridge Park yesterday and attempted a run. The cold had settled in a bit more to my chest, so it was tough. What was nice, was that Lake Ridge Park was empty at that hour. I parked near the Mini Golf, and ran down the main road and headed out to the main intersection, then turned back. I struggled the whole way, and I hope this isn't a sign of what things will be like on Sunday. I was to a point where I could either run fairly hard for about 10 minutes then walk a minute and repeat and finish 5K in about 32:00. Or run moderately and run 3 miles straight in about the same time. I did 2.41 miles yesterday and maintained a 10:00 pace with a lot of walking mixed in. I couldn't seem to breathe well and barely was able to run 7:00 to start. I stopped and walked for about a minute and finished my first mile in 10:26. Then I had to stop and walk again. I tried walking for 2 minutes this time, but it didn't seem to help. I was still sucking wind. Finished my 2nd mile in 11:00. I stopped one more time and walked a bit, then managed to run another .40 mile. At that point, I wasn't able to maintain any kind of rhythm and couldn't run for more than 3 or 4 minutes without having to stop. I hope to do better on Sunday. A lot better. Hoping this cold gets a bit better by then. But my fear is that it will settle in my chest and make it super hard to breathe.
In any event, the weather looks great for Sunday morning. Upper 50's/Low 60's. Should be perfect weather. Plan on wearing a long sleeve tech shirt, Adidas shorts, and my Asics running shoes. Hoping for the best!
