Thursday, December 2, 2010

New 5K Route

Today I ran a new route. I mapped it out when I signed up for First Night because I wanted a 5K in my neighborhood for practice. I haven't run it yet because I'm kind of a chicken about running new routes. I run the same route until I feel like I'm going to die from boredom and am forced to try out something new. That's where I was today, so I set out on said new route.

I finished that 5K alright, but that's because I took a bunch of walking breaks. What the flip is going on? It took me 39 minutes to finish (3.17 miles). I had to keep walking because my chest felt really tight. As this is the second time in a row this has happened, I will definitely use my inhaler next time I head out for a run.  I felt pretty cocky about not needing that thing anymore, but for some reason I think my asthma is acting up again. Oh, well.

The loop is a triangle, so I run three long stretches. I had to take my first walking break at 8 minutes, which was just before the first turn. When I got home, I mapped the run to see where the miles were because I couldn't remember, and I found out that the one mile was just past where I stopped to walk. Well, there's your problem! Um, yeah, I definitely shouldn't be running a sub-9 minute mile. Der. That's one problem with running a new route. I have no sense of where the miles fall, so I have no idea how fast I am going. And my good-for-nothing new watch certainly doesn't help. It turns out that each stretch is close to one mile, the longest stretch being the last one. That'll be good to know next time. While I don't think it was the entire problem, once again being an idiot at pacing screwed me up!

Other than the breathing trouble I was having, and a person driving halfway on the shoulder for no reason and almost hitting me (I literally jumped straight up in the air because the car scared the crap out of me), I really, really like my new route. There are a lot of trees, a (dingy) little lake, and a mile of it is on a non-trafficy road so I don't have to fear for my life the entire time. I even saw some deer prints and a couple of horses! Also, there are a good number of hills, something my previous routes were lacking, so that was good. I made a point to run each hill for practice, even if I was feeling winded. Even though I'm kind of anxious about my performance today with First Night flying towards me at warp speed, I truly enjoyed this run because it was such a nice day out there and the route is so nice. Yay!

Now I'm off to catch my next leg of this exercise train and do 30 Day Shred before doing some homework and cleaning in my first phase of preparation for the Hanukkah party we're having on Saturday!

2 comments:

  1. As it gets colder, you'll probably feel your asthma more. The cold pre-constricts your airways and makes your life more difficult. Keep an eye on the temperature to see whether you need the inhaler or not...Just ask Simone! She learned the hard way!

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  2. Oh, that's a good point! I hadn't thought of that! Thanks!!

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