Wednesday and Thursday I found excuses not to run. I was supposed to run 3 miles on Wednesday and 4 miles on Thursday. Rather it was thinking it was raining, or just being lazy, I didn't run. Sometimes I find it hard to find the motivation to get up and run. I love running and I love the feeling I get after a good long run, but it is hard to get up and do it sometimes. I don't know how the elite runners do it day after day.
Well, Friday rolled around and it was a scheduled rest day. I thought of running on Friday to make up for the 2 days i missed, but again, I made excuses. I told myself that since I didn't run for 3 days, I would try and set a new personal record at the Garden Spot 5K in Franklin, KY on Saturday. So with that in mind, I chilled out with the family and registered my kids for school. My daughter starts kindergarden this year and my son is in 3rd Grade.
Saturday morning I got up at 0545hrs and got ready to head out to Franklin, KY. I could not find anyone to go with me, so i ventured out solo on this race. I got to the race about 0630hrs and made my way to the registration table to get signed up. It was only $15 to run, not bad!!!! I got signed up and got my FREE shirt. It was kinda plain, but better than the Strawberry Stride one. I put everything back in my truck and got my race stuff on. I milled around and warmed up until the race was about to start. I did run about 1/2 mile or so to warm up. I moved close to the front of the pack for the start so I could get out with the fast guys and not get enclosed in runners. When the race started, I took off with the lead pack and stayed right on their hills. The weather was perfect for running! It was mid-60s and not humid. I ran my 1st mile in 7:04. That is the fastest I have ever ran a mile! I knew I could not keep that up, so I slowed down a bit and fell into a steady pace that felt good. I grabbed some water at the 1st station, but it tasted terrible, so I pitched the rest of it into the grass. My watch beeped for mile 2 and I had ran the 1st 2 miles in under 15 minutes. I knew I was on a good pace, but I was feeling the effects of running alittle over my head. At 2.75 miles, there was another water station, so I slowed to a fast walk and took another glass of water. I took a drink and glanced at my watch. It has just turned over 20 minutes. I knew I only had .3 miles left, so I tossed the water and sped up to try and set that new personal record. I pushed as much as I could the last bit, which was not that much because I was tired at this point. I crossed the finish line to the crowd clapping and stopped to catch my breath. Then my watch beeps at me that I under my preset pace upper limit of 8:15. I realized I didn't stop my running watch. When I did stop it, it read 23:52. That was well under my 25:23 that I set at the race on July 4th. I was very pleased with my run and called my wife to let her know. At this time on Sunday night, I am still waiting on the Bowling Green Road Runners Club to post the official times on their website. I ended up 33rd overall, or that is what my card said that they gave me at the end. I know I didn't place in the top 3 of my age group (Male 30-39). I came home after the race and sported my shirt the rest of the day. I told everyone who asked I set a new personal record. My wife is now tired of hearing about it...hehehe.
Sunday came and I awoke at 6am to run again. My left knee was sore, so I just rolled over and went back to sleep. I was supposed to run 6 miles on Saturday and only ran 3 at the race. I planned on running 6-7 miles today to make up for it. I finally got around motivated about 4pm to run. I spend the day at church and then mowing the yard. Noah wanted to run with me, so I told him we would run our road together and then I would continue on without him. I made the mistake of eatting supper at 5:30pm. I figured that would get me when I ran. Noah and I started our run at 6:30pm and ran our road, which is 1/2 a mile down and back. Noah had a new understanding of running after that...hehehe. He did very well and I was proud of him. He came out of his room ready to run with his mp3 player and headphones on just like me. He said he wanted to run with me again this week and I told him I would love too. I continued my run after dropping Noah off at home. I planned on running 6 miles. The weather was good and it was not humid. I felt good after 4 miles and began to think about doing 7 or 8 miles. I made my way back into my neighborhood at 6.5 miles (0.5 miles from my house) feeling pretty good. I had kept a pace of 10 minutes per mile (good for me) the whole way. I passed my house and started running the 2 mile loop of roads in my neighborhood. At about 7.5 miles I thought, heck I can make it 9 miles. So that is what I did. But, at 8.5 miles, my left knee felt like it was going to explode. I slowed to a jog and limped home the last 0.5 miles. I ended my 9 mile run in extreme pain and began to walk to try to recover. After about 100 yards, my left knee felt better, but it still hurt. I walked about 1/2 mile and then headed in the house for something to drink. I fixed my Endurance Fuel and found the closest spot to crash. My wife fixed me an ice pack and I wrapped my knee. After about 30 minutes, I got up to take a shower. My knee was just about locked up. It hurt like hell to flex it, but after I did once or twice, it felt alittle better. I guess I will be eatting anti-inflammatory meds for the next few days. After getting a shower, I rewrapped my knee and started on this blog. After this, I am headed to bed. I guess work will be an adventure tomorrow with a bum knee. Tomorrow starts week 3 too!!!! Thank GOD it is a rest day!!!!!
Running Log
Wednesday, Aug. 6th ---- 0 Miles
Thursday, Aug. 7th ---- 0 Miles
Friday, Aug. 8th ---- 0 Miles (Rest day)
Saturday, Aug 9th ---- Garden Spot 5K Race (3.1 Miles) in approx 23:30 (waiting on offical results)
Sunday, Aug. 10th ---- 9 miles in 1:26:46
Week 2 Total - 16 miles
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