Quote of the Day

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Hello 2009

2009 is going to be the year of new experiences. I've already got a few things lined up, including a couple of classes and a road trip down south. One of my new habits is to be more aware of opportunities that exist in this world for people to have fun, learn, meet new people, etc. and I think I'm off to a good start.

Quote of the Day

"If you don't bring forth what is inside you, what you don't bring forth will destroy you."

Jesus of Nazareth
c. 5-38 CE, Jewish Prophet, Mystic, Founder of Christianity
in The Gospel of Thomas

Today's Run

3m

Today's run is 3 miles. Here are my goals:

1. Learn to control my cramping with breathing exercises.

2. Concentrate on nothing but pace for the first mile or 10 minutes.

Sorry I'm Late

I feel like I've let the two readers I have down by not posting about how my first race went. I apologize. I'll try not to let it happen again, promise.

So...

4:30 Leave my house. I'm feeling excited and a little nervous.

4:45 Arrive at Ault Park, the venue for the race. Traffic was a pain but I was able to secure a good parking space close to the start.

4:50 After registering, getting a wrist band, race number and t-shirt, I start wandering around.

5:10 Run into my cousin Patty who was getting ready to drive the pace car.

5:30 Run into running buddy Dave. We start to head toward the starting line and find a spot about 3/4 of the way to the back

6:00pm: The race starts, kind of. It takes a while for the pack to move to past the start. It took me about 2 minutes to reach the line from when the gun went off.

Here's where everything turns into a blur. I started off really strong and thought I was maintaining a decent, but safe, pace. When we came to the first major hill, I was confident that I'd be able to conquer it and I did. I saw what I thought was the top and made that my target. The "top", however, wasn't the top at all. It was a turn onto another street that had an even steeper hill. At this point I was kicking myself for not running the course before hand like I had planned. I had to stop on the second hill for a second and from there on out ran-walked the rest of the race. My time was 33:04. Not bad for someone who's only been running for a few months, but not at all where I hoped to be.

Tonight is my first run since the race. I'm restarting my beginner 5k plan and going to try and get back on track with my nutrition so I can reach my weight goal.

Race Day is Almost Here!!

My first 5k race is only two days away and I'm feeling pretty good about my chances of finishing it. I went running with Dave and his friend Glenna yesterday and felt pretty good up until the 25 minute mark or so when I got one of those pesky side cramps. No idea what causes those, but I've always been fairly susceptible to them.

I'm going to take it easy today and then walk the race course tomorrow.