I wrote a popular blog post for New Year’s Day last year where I shared some of my thoughts about being a new runner and how to get started on the Couch to 5k journey, and then I outlined my running goals for 2013.
Guess what? 2013 is almost over. Let’s see how I’ve done!
- Run a 5k in under 30 minutes with Will and Andrew in the double jogging stroller
- Run a 10k
- Not look like a nauseous chinless zombie in future running photos
Uh oh.
I ran a 10k, but I’ve only run one 5k with the boys in a double stroller, and it was not even close to under 30 minutes! It took me 31:54. That might sound close to 30 for a non-runner, but those of us with any racing experience know that it can take a lot of effort to drop your race time down even by 30 seconds!
Not only have I not run a 5k in under 30 pushing the jogging stroller, I also haven’t completely avoided the nauseous chinless zombie photo phenomenon. Check out this lovely face I made coming in towards the finish for my 5k PR in September:
I guess my chin looks pretty decent at that angle… but you can tell I’m pushing pretty hard to keep up with my friends! I think that’s enough of a chin to say I’ve so far accomplished goal number three. Besides, I smiled big at the end of my second half marathon, which tips the balance in my favor!
Ok, so I have less than a month and a half left in 2013, and only one outstanding goal to meet. Part of me feels as though I shifted focus and swapped out that goal in order to run longer instead of faster. I never anticipated when I wrote that New Year’s Day article that I would end up running two half marathons this year! It seemed amazing to me at that point, only a few months after my first 5k, to consider the possibility of even running a 10k. After all, that was twice as far as I’d ever run without stopping!
Yet… do I really have to give up that goal? If I can run 13.1 miles at about 10:30 pace, can’t I maintain about a 9:30 pace for less than a quarter of that time, pushing the jogging stroller?
I guess we’ll find out.
My only chance is coming up on Thanksgiving, when I’m joining the mother’s forum running club to try to have the biggest team running our local Thanksgiving morning 5k and 5 miler. I signed up for the 5k, and plan to run with the boys in the stroller as long as the weather is clear. I think this is my last chance to try for under 30 with the stroller, since the cold weather approaches!
In preparation, of which I only have about a week between recovering from my second half marathon and tapering before the 5k, I ran with Andrew in the single stroller while Will was at school.
I tried to keep my time around a 9:30 pace, and I did. However… I only had one kid to push, and I took breaks in order to maintain the pace! I look at it like an interval workout, just getting myself used to and comfortable at that speed, even if I need some recovery points in between. And by some, I mean a lot.
We’ll see how Thanksgiving goes…
I like how you have written down your 2013 goals and are taking the time to review them. I may have to use this for myself in January.
Good luck with the 5k, I’m sure you’ll be great and there will be no chinless zombie photos at the end. 🙂
It’s really helpful writing them down and checking back on them… I am excited to make new ones for 2014, and I’m confident that if I don’t cross the stroller race off the list this year, I will in 2014, because I think it’d be fun to be able to do!
All the best for the 5k!
Thanks! I think the kids are too sick to go in the stroller, and I’m thinking I might be too sick to run but I don’t want to let my team down so I might attempt it anyway. We’re hoping for the largest team, so my time won’t matter so much as my completion… I could do three miles sick, right?!
Looking forward to hearing your ideas for 2014 goals. My sister and I planned to run a 5K event every month in 2013 and we did it! (or at least, we are registered for our December run, let’s keep our fingers crossed). In 2014 I want to run at least two 10K events. I was a newbie runner when I started this journey and it just keeps getting better. My goal is to do a 5K in 30 minutes but … well, I’m nowhere near as yet SO I’ll just keep working at it and see what happens. Good luck to you!
What a fun goal to run a 5k every month, especially if you did it together! That’s a really cool idea. Good luck to you with your goals and your running!