Weekend Run = Long Run = Awesome

Going for the 5K today.

I started with a 4 minute walk to the corner (.37K/.23mi). I took off running and my knee was hurting.

As I got to the end of the figure-8, where I have been turning into my mini-Cali-like-zen-hood, I saw a runner on the next block headed in the same direction that I would soon be going. I estimated the timing and tried to remember if her road was a dead end, and I feared when I got to the end of the street in my hood, we would be side by side. I nailed that prediction, but while I only stayed on that street a block before I turned back to my regular route, she kept going. She was just ahead of me, and I noticed she had the same slow shuffling stride that I have mastered, and she had some kind of straps around her knees. I made a note to find out what that was all about.

I headed back through my route and as I neared the twist of my 8, I realized she was still a block over, running at about the same pace. Somehow, this was encouraging. Someone else runs as slow as me!

I was getting very hot and thirsty. Thank goodness I opted for shorts, even though it was only 60 degrees. I was hungry, too, and here I was, going for a 5K so shortly after returning to running!

I managed to not check the time until I had been running for 28 minutes (just past the post office)! Then I was curious, so I kept an eye on the time. At the 30 minute mark, I was halfway down the first block after I start the long downhill stretch (3.57K/2.22 mi into run). At the 40 minute mark, I was a block away from turning onto my block (4.73K/2.94 mi). The 3.1 mile mark was a half block from my house, approximately at the 42:30 mark of my run.

I wasn't sure while running where the 5K mark would be, since I'm walking at the beginning and have added my little neighborhood detour on, but I was pretty sure when I got to my alley that I should have completed it. This was at 43 minutes and actually 5.07K/3.15mi.

I was pretty stoked about finishing, but needed to have a cooldown walk, so I went up the alley and around the short end of the block, back to home.

I was exhausted, and my knees were killing me, but I am thrilled with meeting this goal. I could barely walk as the day wore on. Uh-oh.

Weather: 60, partly cloudy, 5 mph, 88% humidity, feels like 60
Time: 7am; Walk 4, Run 43, Walk 3
Distance: 5.75K/3.57mi
Elevation: +111.2/-109.4/net 1.8 ft

Just run: 43:00
Distance: 5.07K/3.15mi
5K/10K: 42:22/1:29:34
Pace: 13.65

P.S. With this run, I have RUN over 100 miles total. :) Go me.