Fitness Tip Tuesday

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tip: When returning to running, the number of workouts you complete each week is more important than how far or how long you run.

Saturday Morning Fitness Motivation

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“In running, it doesn’t matter whether you come in first, in the middle of the pack, or last. You can say, ‘I have finished.’ There is a lot of satisfaction in that.”
~Fred Lebow, New York City Marathon co-founder

Polar Bear Series 5K

The local YMCA holds a series of runs from January to March, each race increasing in distance. Today was the first race, lovingly called, “New Year’s Resolution” 5K. All the races start at 1:00 pm, which seems late to me, but whatever.

My husband and I both signed up to run the whole series; 5K (today), 10K, 10 miles and ending with a half marathon on March 10, 2013. We arrived at registration about 30 minutes prior to the race starting and picked up our bibs and race shirts; really nice dri fit long sleeved shirts. The course was the same one I ran for the Turkey Trot back on Thanksgiving, so I knew what to expect as far as hills, turns, etc.

I’m not sure exactly how many people ran today, but saw bib numbers in the 100s. As an alternative to running, you also have the option to do walks, each one increasing in distance, the last one being 6 miles.

Today’s race was chilly, only 21° F, windy and we recently had 12 inches of snow. The conditions were icy and slushy. Lucky me, I had received a pair of Yaktrax for Christmas as well as cold-weather running gear. I was still cold while waiting for the race to start, but as always, warmed up quickly.

I managed to get my music started in time for the gun to go off, this is a first for me! I got a new watch/HRM for Christmas and had intentions of using it to time myself. I thought I had pushed “start” when the race began, but once I crossed the finish line and checked my time, it still said 00:00:00, oops!

I didn’t feel very fast today and my lungs/chest felt tight and I felt out of breath. I used my husband to set the pace and ran about 20-30 feet behind him for the majority of the race. When there was about 1/4 mile left, I made my move and increased my pace to pass him. I saw the finish and put my legs into high gear. My unofficial time was 27 minutes, I will post the accurate time once the results are available online.

I’m not exactly happy about my time, but there’s always room for improvement, right? My goal for 2013 is to run a sub-25 minutes 5K.

**Updated: 27:09 minutes is the official time**

Check out my other races!
Next race: Polar Bear Series 10K
Herbivore Triathlete Race Results Page

Weekly Workout Summary 12.23.12

Here’s what my weekly workouts looked like:

Sunday 12/16/12:  Rest Day

Monday 12/17/12 @ 6:15 pm: 45 minute spin class at the YMCA

Tuesday 12/18/12 @ 6:30 pm: 30 minutes of Pilates/Yoga @ home using Fitness Blender

Wednesday 12/19/12 @ 6:00 am: 45 minute spin class at Allegheny Endurance

Thursday 12/20/12 @ 5:30 pm: 30 minute fartlek intervals at the YMCA

Friday 12/21/12 @ 9:00 am: 30 minute elliptical trainer at the YMCA

Saturday 12/22/12 @ 6:00 am: 45 minute spin class at Allegheny Endurance

Weekly Totals

Running:  2.85 miles, 30 minutes

Elliptical Trainer: 3.3 miles, 30 minutes

Spin Class: 2 hours, 15 minutes

Pilates/Yoga: 30 minutes

My running distance and time was way down this week. My neck was really bothering me early on in the week. It was super tight and painful and the pain radiated into my shoulder, arm and back. I decided that it would be more beneficial for me to spend some time stretching and focusing on loosening up the muscle in my neck rather than running in pain. It helped tremendously and I was back on track by Thursday.