The Couple That Runs Together - 5k Training Update

It's official. We are about 4 weeks from race day. Eep! This training period has been pretty difficult for me. First, Steven went out of town for a week which meant that I couldn't run because I didn't have anyone to sit with the kids in the morning during the time I had available and I am not good at running at night. Then, I got sick. Well, we all got sick. I ended up having a pretty rough time though. I went to Centra Care. Mistake #1. I do not like going to the doctor. I should have just continued to let it run its course, but I had been sick for almost a week and felt like I was getting worse instead of better. Then, I let them put me on antibiotics. Mistake #2. And I took them. Mistake #3. I knew I was allergic to a couple of antibiotics already. Those were the initial top choice for my URI but I couldn't have them. I also am not often given penicillin because of the structure of it compared to the ones I am knowingly allergic to or something like that. It isn't the first time that has come up. So, I was given something called sulfameth. Lovely. I took it for a week and on day 8, started to develop a super itchy rash. I stopped the antibiotic immediately. The rash got way worse before it got better but luckily it  was gone in about 4 days. I also noticed that towards the end of taking the antibiotics I was developing a terrible cough. I tend to get bad coughs when sick anyway so I didn't take too much notice until a day after I ceased the medicine, the cough disappeared. Like I never had it. We are wondering now if the cough was more about my airways being restricted due to my allergic reaction to the meds. Needless to say, I have now added antibiotic #3 to the list of ones I know I am allergic to. So fun. Anyway, all of that being said, I didn't run for over a week because I was feeling so gross. First from being sick and then from the building allergic reaction. I am slowly getting back into my runs and increasing my time/mileage again.

For a lot of runners, what I run must seem puny but it is my current best effort so I am pretty happy with myself. I am now back up to running for about 15 minutes without stopping. I have also upped my speed slightly. It was actually an accident that happened, but it works out well. I was running about a 12:30 min/mile before I got sick. Now I average anywhere from 11:30 to 12 min/mile. It's slow. I know that. But it is where I am at. I will continue to build on that. My goal in the next 4 weeks is to add about 5 minutes to my total time spent running each week. That means that in 4 weeks, I hope to be back to running about 30-35 minutes total without stopping. That is about where I was before Steven went out of town. The upcoming race includes pretty serious (Florida) hills from what I have heard, so I presume my speed and amount of time spent running without walking breaks will suffer some on the course, but my goal is to finish in an acceptable amount of time. I train with a few small inclines but nothing compared to a real hill or what I believe is called a "hill" on the course. My current PR is about 41 minutes for a 5k so breaking that would be awesome, but with the hills, I am unsure if I can do that. I am trying to set a goal to finish in under 45 minutes. We shall see. The heat is likely to also play a factor. Steven and I have both noticed that on mornings/nights that we run, if it is really hot or exceptionally humid, our times suffer slightly. It is just harder to run in that weather. I used to complain about the cold when I ran. I take it all back. I would rather run in 50 degrees than in 90 with 96% humidity. Such is the life of a Florida runner though, I guess. We make it work. The race starts at 6:30 but I run at 5:45 most mornings and even then it is hot, sticky, and still. Making a run more difficult than if the weather was more favorable.

One of my recent runs

Then there is Steven. He started running about 2 months ago and then had to take a break because his back was giving him issues. We were hoping his back pain wasn't related to the running and it looks like it wasn't. We think he hurt himself picking up Kenzie one day. Once his back was better, he got back into c25k. He is on week 2 at this point and he is doing great. I think he is enjoying it. (Welcome to the dark side, Steven....) He is excited for the race, too. I presume he will leave me behind (which is fine by me) on race day as his pace is faster than mine. If he continues to train until the race, he will be running fairly large chunks of time so I don't think I will catch him. We will both finish though. =) I'm not sure about the time limit for the race. Because it allows walkers, my presumption is that it allows for at least 75 minutes but both of us can finish well within that time limit. We typically walk a 17-18 min/mile a few times a week so we could even walk it within that time limit if need be.

Steven's most recent run

We have already set higher goals at this point. I really wanted to convince him to sign up for the Enchanted 10k at Disney in February. He was iffy about signing up for a 10k prior to completing his first 5k though. Plus, the Princess 1/2 Weekend is geared towards women. Men run, but it isn't as common. I told him that if he would run it with me I will get him a shirt that says, "Why are all these princesses chasing me?" Haha! Plus, I have big plans for either a Rapunzel or Belle inspired outfit. Instead, we are considering signing up for the Star Wars 10k. It is in mid-April. That also means, however, that there is a good chance that I will end up running a 5k the week before the 10k. Iron Girl Clearwater is typically around the 10th of April each year and next year my mom and sis-in-law have talked about doing it. So, I would make a return to Clearwater for that. Plus, I loved that race and the entire vibe of it. Yes, I know it was my first real race and only one so far, but it was just so much fun. I need a second chance at that bridge anyway. I will cross that bridge when I get there. Haha! Pun intended. I still plan to complete the Princess Enchanted 10k. Probably in 2018.

As for other upcoming race thoughts... there is the possibility of a 5k here when the Pro Bowl comes to town in January. Sign us up! I'm hoping to locate a 5k sometime towards the end of the year as well.

So, we will continue to train for the next 4 weeks for Suck it Up Buttercup and see how it goes. Then, it's on to training for a 10k. I have downloaded the c210k app but will debate using it versus just continuing to up my time/mileage over the upcoming months at a slow pace. I am not on a deadline to reach the 10k distance so I have the benefit of time on my side. Anyway... Wish us luck!