My first 5K approaches
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I’ve got my first ever 5K race coming up on Sunday. It’s the first race in a series of six and I’m really looking forward to it. It’s only been a few months since I started running and now I’m going to run a race. It’s very exciting actually.
One thing I have noticed is that the more I run outside the more I adjust my expectations downward. I did some really quick (by my standards) times on the treadmill but since I’ve started running outside my times have been a lot slower. I think the hills are what are slowing me down. 
I’m having a bit of trouble judging how fast to run I think so I’m hoping my new Garmin will help me pace my runs better.
Speaking of which, I completed my second run of week 02 of the One Hour Runner program yesterday and I used my Garmin for the first time. I decided to go for a run in the Auckland Domain again. It was the toughest run I’ve done in quite a while for some reason. I was fine for the first two kilometers but the last three were extremely tough and I really struggled to complete them. It didn’t help that there were about a thousand school kids milling around as there was some event on. Oh well, I guess they can’t all be brilliant runs.
I’m still trying to figure out how to use the data from my Garmin effectively. There are a few different sites and applications that you can use to upload data and analyse it. I haven’t quite had the time to sort through and play with them yet. Anyone have any recommendations?
I’m guessing this comment will probably get rejected by Akismet, but I’ll try anyway. Good luck in the race - there is nothing like running a race - I’m sure you’ll love it.
You’re allowed back in AJH.
Thanks. I’m hoping I will!
lurker here —–for the most part anyway.
wanted to wish you luck!!
M.
Thanks MizFit! I love my lurkers and I love em even more when they wish me luck.
Dang it, I wrote you a really awesome response (if I do say so myself) and it looks to be lost. If you don’t have it, I will re-write it.
I think it is gone. Here goes ~
I do think running outside can be more difficult - it beats you up more and can be hard to push yourself or keep an even pace like you can on the treadmill. You will definitely get used to it, but I always make sure to alternate or get some outside runs in when possible to avoid the beat up feeling the pavement can cause. You will probably be fine in the race as far as pace, the adrenaline will help.
Hills can be tough, I always tell myself that every hill I endure makes me stronger. Even if I have to do it at snail’s pace, I finish and that surely has made me stronger. Whenever I am tempted to walk, this keeps me going. Soon the same old hills will have less and less of an effect on you and you actually are stronger because of them!!
As far as the race, remember how far you have come. You have really made some strides. The race is a celebration of that. The miracle is not in the finish or the finish time, the miracle is that you had the courage to start and that you got yourself to the staring line. (that is paraphrased a bit from the Penguin.)
Go celebrate your success and have a blast, you are running!!!!
Enjoy the race this weekend!
Races are always a time of reflection for me - to think about how far I have come and where I still want to go….
Nancy, you weren’t kidding. What an awesome response! Thank you thank you thank you!
Thanks Chief Wahoo. Funnily enough I find I think my deep thougts while mowing the lawn.
Good luck in your race. It is very exciting! Each race for me is still exciting and fun!
Thanks Belinda!
Good luck!
On running outside being harder than the treadmill, when I was in ND, the trainer that introduced me to the gym equipment told me specifically that he thought walking on the walking track was likely to be better exercise for me than walking on the treadmill.
Naturally, I asked why!
His answer was that you use more energy pushing off from a fixed surface walking than you do pushing off from a moving surface like the treadmill. I don’t know if he’s right, but maybe so!
very best of luck to you Andrew! Hope you have a great time
Thanks Cynthia and Shauna. The race was fantastic.
As for the programs to use with your Garmin, I have used motion based, which is from Garmin. It’s okay, but you can only access your last 10 activities on line unless you pay to upgrade.
I started using bones in motion — http://www.bimactive.com — and I like the setup better, but I’ve detected some problems with the program. For example, it gives temperature readings in my area of 40 degrees too high and it splits up some of the time/mileage splits. I like the appearance, though. Here’s one of my posts with the data uploaded: http://formerlyfatrunningguy.blogspot.com/2008/03/yesterday-was-big-16-mile-long-run.html
I’m also planning to look at http://www.runningahead.com. Haven’t used it yet though.
Jeff
As for the programs to use with your Garmin, I have used motion based, which is from Garmin. It’s okay, but you can only access your last 10 activities on line unless you pay to upgrade.
I started using bones in motion — http://www.bimactive.com — and I like the setup better, but I’ve detected some problems with the program. For example, it gives temperature readings in my area of 40 degrees too high and it splits up some of the time/mileage splits. I like the appearance, though. Here’s one of my posts with the data uploaded: http://formerlyfatrunningguy.blogspot.com/2008/03/yesterday-was-big-16-mile-long-run.html
I’m also planning to look at http://www.runningahead.com. Haven’t used it yet though.