Paramount Break-A-Leg 5K Race Report and Other Revelations

This morning, I ran the Paramount Break-A-Leg 5K, which is put on in conjunction with Austin Marathon and Half-Marathon. It was kinda chilly this morning (about 43-ish--chilly for Texas), so I wore a technical shirt, a long sleeve t-shirt, and long tights. My plan was that I wouldn't be running long enough to get truly overheated, so I went for warmth. I also wore my new shoes, which are the same model as my old shoes (Brooks Trance 8), but in a different color. The race website made all of these dire warnings about parking difficulty ("You should plan to arrive by 5:30 or be tarred and feathered!" Not really.), so I left my apartment at 5:45 and got downtown at about 6:15 and found parking a few blocks from the starting line without a problem. I then sat in the warmth of my car 'til about 6:40, then went in search of the Porta Potties (which I found successfully).

The 5K started half an hour after the marathon and half (which started at 7), so, theoretically, you could watch the main races start and still be able to get to the 5K start line a few blocks up Congress. However, the fences surrounding the medical tent and finisher's village were set up so weirdly that I decided not to bother, and kinda peered down the road at the fireworks they set off at the beginning. Then the 5Kers lined up, and PRECISELY at 7:30, we were off (lovin' the promptness!).

Now, I should probably fill you in on something I discovered earlier this week: I'm a heck of a lot faster than I thought I was. Still not fast, or even middle-of-the-pack by most standards (maybe back of the mid-pack?), but much faster than I assumed I was. Like, a whole minute-per-mile faster. On Tuesday afternoon, I came home from work and decided to go for a 3-miler. I started out, and about halfway through, I was feeling a little winded. I thought to myself, "Hmm, maybe I just need more sleep...?" and kept going. At the end of my run, I looked at my watch, and was pleasantly surprised. This run clocked in a good 4-5 minutes faster than my usual times on that route. Holy cow! I hadn't run that route in quite a while, and had been doing most of my 3-milers on the treadmill. Subsequent outdoor runs this week confirmed that the 3-miler wasn't a fluke--my pace really is faster than I thought it was. For some reason, I guess I just hadn't been pushing myself for a while (the treadmill really doesn't require you to do that--which can be a crutch). Obviously, I need to get off the 'mill and get outside more, in order to realize my "potential."

Back to the race. I started off at my newly-discovered easy pace for the first mile, then kicked it into gear at around mile 2. I was definitely able to pick off a lot of the people who started out too fast, or started to fade toward the end. It feels weird passing people, because for the longest time I was always the one getting passed. As we neared the finish, I kicked it into gear. I actually had a lot of energy left towards the end, which makes me wonder (as I did in 3M) if I started out too slow. I guess I'll have to work on this "pushing myself" business. I PRed on the last 5K I did (which was in May of last year), by over 3 minutes, so...hooray! It wasn't as fast as my enlightening Tuesday 3-miler, but I'll take it. ;) This puts my mileage this week somewhere around 15 or 16. Tomorrow will be light cross-training (my knees are feeling a little beat-up), then back on to my quest for increased mileage.

Well, back to being an attentive reference librarian (someone's gotta run the joint on Sundays!), then home for minestrone, wine, maybe ice cream, and Jeeves and Wooster! Thanks, Netflix!

Catch-Up

Stating the obvious: it's been a while. I keep thinking of things I'd like to say in a post, then neglecting to actually post them. I'm real lazy about the Internets (I often forget what I mean to do immediately after sitting down to my computer). Here's what I've been up to:

• Went to the beach
• Went to New Orleans to visit family (and eat a whole lot of seafood)
• Due to the obnoxiously high temperatures as of late (consistent 105s, anyone?), have largely moved my running indoors--which I will address shortly
• Have stopped eating bread daily (except for the occasional whole-wheat bagel)
  
• Have started having smoothies for breakfast and soup or tuna for lunch
• Am trying to eat more vegetarian dishes (hello, lentils!)
• Weights!

I'm not a morning person. But, I do like working out in the morning. It's much less crowded, it's cooler outside, and I like not having to think about working out throughout the day. So, last week, I mainly went to the gym in the morning. It was nice, and would have been nicer had I been able to get more sleep at night (I've always been a bad sleeper). I ran on the treadmill or used the elliptical, and did weights, then came home, showered, and got ready for work. Hopefully my internal clock will adjust itself and I can sleep better, so I can continue this business. It's not like I have to study or anything... :-p

I live in Texas. It's hot. It's always hot in the summer, and I accept this, but this is the first summer I've had to try to run around said hotness. It's even gross in the morning. I made an effort up until about a week into June, then decided to move indoors, not unlike our Northern friends do in the winter. It was alright for a while, but last week I realized how bored I get on the treadmill after about 20 minutes. There's TVs and everything, and the treadmills at Gold's are on the second story, so you get to watch people weightlifting (which is always a hoot), but it still gets old. And when I get bored, I tend to get tired, which leads to me quitting early...no good. So this morning, I decided to venture out for an easy jog, just to see if I could handle it. At 6, it was about 78F and not too humid. There was even a breeze (!!!). I was slower than usual, but I chalk it up to waking up my outside legs (much different than my treadmill legs). So...I think I'll try to get outside at least 3 times a week, especially for a long run, and continue cross-training and doing weights at the gym. Weights!

So, I've been thinking about doing something, running-wise. It kinda depends on how this week goes, but I've mostly made my mind up. But more on that another time. :)