Progress

Sadly, there is no Shamrock 5K race report from me. My father in law (a doctor) diagnosed me with bronchitis over the weekend. I was still planning on doing the race, until my husband ratted me out to his father. While he told me I could still do the race, it would be unwise and would only prolong my illness with the damp cold air in the Baltimore area on race day. After some thought, I agreed and decided it was best to avoid a situation that would extend this ickiness any longer than necessary (its already been two weeks!). I am so disappointed because I have heard great things about this 5K and I was looking forward to the beer race.


So, instead of running outside, I went to the gym and told myself that I would feel slightly better if I ran under my goal on the treadmill for a 5K and a few more miles. I managed to get my 5K in at 33:40 and 5 miles done in 57:32. My splits looked like:
Mile 1 – 11:30


Mile 2 – 11


Mile 3 – 11:10


Mile 4 – 12:15 (YIKES--I must have been super tired)


Mile 5 – 11:47


I wished I could have gotten two miles in, but my left hip started to bother me and I just decided to call it quits instead of pushing it too hard. Overall, I was pleased with my run. Except for one mile, I kept my time WELL below the tempo I hoped to run for the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler. (I am hoping for a 12min/mile pace—with a few miles just at 11:45) and that is the fastest 5K time I have EVER done. In addition, when I look back that a year ago I was excited that I ran for two straight minutes without stopping, its awesome to see how far I have come. Its just one of the many reasons I love running; there is just such a dramatic way to see your progress. If you would have told me a year ago that I would be running a 10-miler (or a half marathon---yikes!!!) I would have laughed at you.

I have become obsessed with running skirts lately. I have had a hard time figuring out what to wear to run in lately, especially when I think about warm weather. Running shorts have a tendency to creep up and make my thighs look like those giant fair turkey drumsticks and capris just make me too warm, especially since I sweat like a man as it is. I recently bought the Nike Pacer Knit Skirt and it has become my favorite thing to run in lately. It’s cute, comfortable (a bit short) and durable. There are some booty shorts underneath the skirt that do not creep up and I feel so comfortable in them. If you know of any other great running skirts (I need the shorts under—not just the bloomers/underwear things), send them my way; I will be forever indebted!  Additionally, if you love running skirts too, check out Katye's awesome giveaway on her blog. 

If you ran the Shamrock 5K, how did it go? Did you do anything fun this weekend?!