As of the last running related post I wrote, I spoke about how I was stuck in a rut and having problems keeping myself motivated. I should have been training for the Chicago marathon in October, but instead I couldn't get myself to run. I knew I loved running, and I would feel better once I just got out there so I decided to just do it. I went to the gym and ran on the treadmill. My 5k time was 37:34. It was discouraging, but I still did it. And I knew I would keep doing it. I was now determined to get myself back to where I was before, and then even better.
The second time I ran it took me 36:35. I took a minute off my 5k time in one day. That's pretty hard to accomplish, but I pushed myself. I knew that I could do it, and I did. I felt good, and I felt proud of myself. It just wanted me to push myself more.
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| After a gym session |
In between the 5ks I ran on the treadmill, I did some cross training. I've been doing the #AugustCoreFocus put together by Kat on her blog Sneakers and Fingerpaints. I've also been doing the Arc Trainer at the gym in between running, and sometimes following that up with a quick 1 mile run, done in intervals.
My 3rd attempt at the 5k resulted in a time of 35:40. Yet another minute shaved off my time. I know it's still more than 5 minutes longer than my PR, but a very quick improvement on my time since I started up again. I think the cardio cross-training really makes a difference and it's also a nice way to switch things up.
I also started eating healthier and monitoring my calorie intake. When I was running before I always felt tired and lethargic when I attempted to eat healthy. I figured since I was re-training myself again, I would start training my body to run while eating better foods. Although I haven't gone on any long runs yet, I haven't been super tired and I feel like I've actually felt more energetic for the most part. I may still be slower than I used to be, but I think with time, my body will get used to it and I will get back to the speed I was at. I've also lost some weight, which is always an added bonus!
The last attempt I made at running 5k was done in 34:04. I had taken 3 and a half minutes off my time in less than 2 weeks. I wanted to register for an actual 5k, and get chip timed running outdoors in a race environment. I was going to run the Sea Dog Brewery 5k today (8.18), but unfortunately I had a meeting to attend in the morning. Now I'm looking for a 5k to run sometime soon. However, I did run the Flavor Run with my aunt, and that was a fun experience to get back into running races.
