The Tufts Jumbo Stampede 5K was this past Saturday. I'll admit I was pretty nervous going into it, but it was fun. Here's last week's breakdown:
Sunday: Pullups/pushups, Ab Ripper X
Monday: Run - 5K in 29:08 at 2% incline (9:34, 9:30, 9:11)
Tuesday: Shoulders/arms (skipped legs)
Wednesday: Run - 5K in 29:29 at 2% incline (9:33, 9:31, 9:31)
Thursday: Chest/back
Sunday: Pullups/pushups, Ab Ripper X
Monday: Run - 5K in 29:08 at 2% incline (9:34, 9:30, 9:11)
Tuesday: Shoulders/arms (skipped legs)
Wednesday: Run - 5K in 29:29 at 2% incline (9:33, 9:31, 9:31)
Thursday: Chest/back
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Tufts Jumbo Stampede 5K - finished in ~28:05
I knew going into the week that I would skip my legs workout. The week before, my legs were a bit tired from the leg workout and the inclines I added to my indoor running. I didn't want to risk running the race with tired legs. So, no legs. I tried giving a bit more in terms of runs. I figured it was my last week to do anything, and I wasn't really too concerned with going too crazy before the race since it was only a 5K.
First run of the week after cooling down from my 5K run, I decided to do a half mile interval at 8.5 mph. I did it pretty well and cooled down again afterwards. I figure that little burst of speed after a run might tell my body that it's possible to sprint after 30 minutes of running. Second run was a bit difficult. My legs were tired after two miles and my heartrate went as high as the 170s even though I didn't increase speed or incline. Last 1.1 miles was really tough. I had to fight pretty hard mentally to keep going and finish. Looking back, I think it was due to lack of sleep. I was averaging 5.5 hours per night. I made the decision to make sure I was well rested before the race. I was going to run easy on Friday, but I decided to dedicate that day to rest.
Night before the race, I hit the sack early and got about seven hours of sleep. I rested all of Friday and kept myself pretty comfortable. Also, I had picked up my number bib on Friday, so I could "sleep in" on Saturday. I still woke up earlier than I would've for work. I got there with my cheering group and warmed up and got ready. The 15 minutes before the start was a bit of a torture with my adrenaline pumping, but I somewhat managed to calm myself a bit. During the warmup run, I was able to use the track to gauge my running speed; sort of a calibration run if you will. I overshot myself with the warmup run and wound up running at a 8:30 pace. I made a mental note to slow myself down during the race or I knew I wouldn't last.
The race organizers came in and asked everyone to get ready. I settled into the middle of the pack and waited for the start. When we did start, several people passed me immediately, but not too much. So I knew I picked a good place in the pack to start. I settled into what I thought was a 9:30 pace and picked a competitor to run behind. When I heard him wheezing two minutes into the race, I picked a trio of young runners and settled behind them instead. I stuck with them for a while, even when a quartet of scantily-clad nubile females ran by (haha). After passing several people, we hit the first hill. It was a gradual climb that lasted for a very long block. I focused on pumping my arms and leaned into the hill. We then had a short break of a small level block before hitting the next short but steep hill. The trio I was tailing had to stop after this hill, so I blew by them and picked a different target. After passing a few other people, I settled on two girls wearing elephant hats. I stuck with them till the end until I passed them around the last quarter mile. Turns out I was being tailed as well, and this girl passed me at this point. We hit the track for our finish and I sprinted the last 90 or so meters to the finish. I forgot to stop my chrono right away (the sprinting does that) and forgot to look at the official time, but I calculated my time as ~28:05. A personal record.
I was pretty pleased with my results. I knew I didn't win the race, but I was happy with my performance. I got a t-shirt, too. Haha. My main goal that day was to finish without walking and to finish under 30 minutes, and I hit both and set a new best for my 5K, so I'm psyched. I'm going to keep adding distance and speed to my runs. I hope to eventually run a 10K along with hitting my other fitness goals.
Last weigh-in:
170.0 lb
I knew going into the week that I would skip my legs workout. The week before, my legs were a bit tired from the leg workout and the inclines I added to my indoor running. I didn't want to risk running the race with tired legs. So, no legs. I tried giving a bit more in terms of runs. I figured it was my last week to do anything, and I wasn't really too concerned with going too crazy before the race since it was only a 5K.
First run of the week after cooling down from my 5K run, I decided to do a half mile interval at 8.5 mph. I did it pretty well and cooled down again afterwards. I figure that little burst of speed after a run might tell my body that it's possible to sprint after 30 minutes of running. Second run was a bit difficult. My legs were tired after two miles and my heartrate went as high as the 170s even though I didn't increase speed or incline. Last 1.1 miles was really tough. I had to fight pretty hard mentally to keep going and finish. Looking back, I think it was due to lack of sleep. I was averaging 5.5 hours per night. I made the decision to make sure I was well rested before the race. I was going to run easy on Friday, but I decided to dedicate that day to rest.
Night before the race, I hit the sack early and got about seven hours of sleep. I rested all of Friday and kept myself pretty comfortable. Also, I had picked up my number bib on Friday, so I could "sleep in" on Saturday. I still woke up earlier than I would've for work. I got there with my cheering group and warmed up and got ready. The 15 minutes before the start was a bit of a torture with my adrenaline pumping, but I somewhat managed to calm myself a bit. During the warmup run, I was able to use the track to gauge my running speed; sort of a calibration run if you will. I overshot myself with the warmup run and wound up running at a 8:30 pace. I made a mental note to slow myself down during the race or I knew I wouldn't last.
The race organizers came in and asked everyone to get ready. I settled into the middle of the pack and waited for the start. When we did start, several people passed me immediately, but not too much. So I knew I picked a good place in the pack to start. I settled into what I thought was a 9:30 pace and picked a competitor to run behind. When I heard him wheezing two minutes into the race, I picked a trio of young runners and settled behind them instead. I stuck with them for a while, even when a quartet of scantily-clad nubile females ran by (haha). After passing several people, we hit the first hill. It was a gradual climb that lasted for a very long block. I focused on pumping my arms and leaned into the hill. We then had a short break of a small level block before hitting the next short but steep hill. The trio I was tailing had to stop after this hill, so I blew by them and picked a different target. After passing a few other people, I settled on two girls wearing elephant hats. I stuck with them till the end until I passed them around the last quarter mile. Turns out I was being tailed as well, and this girl passed me at this point. We hit the track for our finish and I sprinted the last 90 or so meters to the finish. I forgot to stop my chrono right away (the sprinting does that) and forgot to look at the official time, but I calculated my time as ~28:05. A personal record.
I was pretty pleased with my results. I knew I didn't win the race, but I was happy with my performance. I got a t-shirt, too. Haha. My main goal that day was to finish without walking and to finish under 30 minutes, and I hit both and set a new best for my 5K, so I'm psyched. I'm going to keep adding distance and speed to my runs. I hope to eventually run a 10K along with hitting my other fitness goals.
Last weigh-in:
170.0 lb
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