Challenge. It’s a word that has a different meaning for everyone on the planet. For me, the meaning has always changed and my challenges were usually means to an end. However, in January 2009, I decided to concentrate all my efforts on an endless challenge that has already significantly changed my life. I decided to get my health under control. At the time of the decision, I was sitting squarely in the overweight category, I was beyond unhealthy, and it was only getting worse. So I took on the challenge to change and save my life.
Fast forward a year. February 2010. I am already a new man. I’ve lost 65 pounds, and am healthier and more active than I have ever been. I decided to up the ante on this challenge and road test my newfound health. I registered for my first 5K. My first training run was a disaster. I could barely run a mile and struggled to walk and run through the full distance at a 10 min./mi. pace. I learned that just losing weight wasn’t enough. I also had to increase my endurance and fitness level.
Fast forward a month. My first 5K. I ran the distance in under 25 minutes. I had reached my goal of completing the race and shaved 5 minutes off my original time. But this wasn’t the end of my challenge. I registered and raced several more 5K races, progressively getting faster, fitter, and more addicted to running and exercising outdoors.
Fast forward two months. I’ve now lost 75 pounds and am racing in my first 10K. I loved the challenge of the longer distance of the race and found myself wanted to keep running. In the back of my mind I knew that longer distance races were out there and waiting for me but that transitioning from racing a 10K to seriously training for a longer, harder challenge would take more than just will and grit to tough it out.
The next step in the challenge presented me with a choice and a lot of questions. Do I stick with just running? Increase my distance to the half marathon? The marathon? Beyond? Or do I transition to a triathlon? Having only recently started running and never been a cyclist or a swimmer, can I even complete a triathlon? But with my recent running successes in mind, I realized that my new body and mind can do more than I thought it could. So I made a decision. Fast forward to July 2010. I am competing in my first sprint triathlon. And fast forward to December 2010. I am competing in my first full marathon.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Race Seven!
Oh the hills! Oh the humanity! Haha. Anyway...
Today's race was the Tucson Heart Group Cinco de Mayo 10K. My longest race to date. And I had two goals for this race.
1. Keep a steady pace so that I can run the whole race. In training, I always tried to keep my 5K pace going for 10K and wasn't able to sustain it. This time, I slowed my pace slightly and was able push hard but not beyond my limits. As I ticked off each mile, I felt stronger and stronger. It may have also helped that the last 2 miles were mostly downhill.
2. Break 8:00/mi. I've been consistently running around 7:30/mi. in the 5K and figured I'd need to slow down to run the whole 10K and I wanted to still see that 7 in the pace. I couldn't find my watch this morning so I wasn't able to track my pace through the race. I listened to my body and slowed up when I was in trouble and sped up when I was feeling great. Fortunately, there was more feeling great than trouble. The course itself was pretty wicked. When I first signed up for this race I talked to a few folks who had run it before and they all said, "Oh, the Cinco 10K? Hope you've been training on hills!" They were right! The course started up hill and was relentless through the turn around. Although they billed the last 2 miles as downhill, the course finished after a hill.
I saw some of my running buddies at the race and it's always nice to compare war stories.
I know I've said it before but I'm still amazed at how far I've come. Down 75 pounds in 16 months, down 7 minutes in my 5K time and 10 minutes in my 10K time in 2.5 months. I never thought I'd be a runner but here I am. I am a healthy. I am happy. I am a runner.
Race #: 7
Distance: 6.21 mi
Type: Road
Bib #: 628
Time: 49:40
Pace: 7:59/mi.
Place: 172/740 (AG 15/30...just noticed that 7 of the top 10 are in my age group...haha...crap.)
Next Challenge: TRIATHLON! AH! 7/4/10: Holualoa Firecracker Triathlon
Today's race was the Tucson Heart Group Cinco de Mayo 10K. My longest race to date. And I had two goals for this race.
1. Keep a steady pace so that I can run the whole race. In training, I always tried to keep my 5K pace going for 10K and wasn't able to sustain it. This time, I slowed my pace slightly and was able push hard but not beyond my limits. As I ticked off each mile, I felt stronger and stronger. It may have also helped that the last 2 miles were mostly downhill.
2. Break 8:00/mi. I've been consistently running around 7:30/mi. in the 5K and figured I'd need to slow down to run the whole 10K and I wanted to still see that 7 in the pace. I couldn't find my watch this morning so I wasn't able to track my pace through the race. I listened to my body and slowed up when I was in trouble and sped up when I was feeling great. Fortunately, there was more feeling great than trouble. The course itself was pretty wicked. When I first signed up for this race I talked to a few folks who had run it before and they all said, "Oh, the Cinco 10K? Hope you've been training on hills!" They were right! The course started up hill and was relentless through the turn around. Although they billed the last 2 miles as downhill, the course finished after a hill.
I saw some of my running buddies at the race and it's always nice to compare war stories.
I know I've said it before but I'm still amazed at how far I've come. Down 75 pounds in 16 months, down 7 minutes in my 5K time and 10 minutes in my 10K time in 2.5 months. I never thought I'd be a runner but here I am. I am a healthy. I am happy. I am a runner.
Race #: 7
Distance: 6.21 mi
Type: Road
Bib #: 628
Time: 49:40
Pace: 7:59/mi.
Place: 172/740 (AG 15/30...just noticed that 7 of the top 10 are in my age group...haha...crap.)
Next Challenge: TRIATHLON! AH! 7/4/10: Holualoa Firecracker Triathlon
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