
The big action shot of me crossing the finishing line of my first 5K where I ran the entire 3.1 miles. I am awesome!
Woohoo! I ran my first 5K race without walking or stopping to catch my breath. I finished in 45:33 minutes. My plan – run at a consistent, easy pace. I wanted to have enough gas in the tank at the end to finish strong. During past races, my competitive streak got the best of me and I started out fast but ended up walking by the time Mile 2 rolled around.
Not today. I stuck to my game plan and it worked.
It’s funny, but I never saw myself as a runner. Yet today, like most run days, I had a big smile on my face. That little voice in my head that tells me “I’m too tired to keep running” disappeared. Not once did I ever think about stopping. I felt relaxed and just enjoyed the morning run.
Speed Vs. Miles
So I ran my first 5K and I promptly asked myself, “Now what?” I have another 5K in a month. Do I focus on improving my time or do I start building up mileage? My husband thinks I should work on my time and compare how I did today with my next 5K. I like the idea, but I have to admit that during my run, I started thinking about training for a 10K.
There is something about distance running that intrigues me. But of course I want to run faster than a 15-minute mile. Decisions, decisions.
Working The 10% Rule
I’ve heard about the 10% Rule – Only increase mileage in increments of 10% per week. I have so many questions about it:
- As a running newbie, does the rule really apply to me?
- Is it better for me to increase the number of days I run and not mileage during a run?
- Doesn’t my body need more time than a week to adjust to the increased mileage?
- Is it more beneficial to run consistently (something I haven’t done lately) than upping my miles now?
I think consistency is the key for me, certainly to avoid injuries. Now that spring is here there is no excuse for not keeping to my run schedule.
Any advice from the runners out there?
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