Out of Hibernation 5K

Out of Hibernation 5K in Portsmouth NH

Originally my plan was to run this race as fast as I could just to see what I could do for time.  Since I started training for the 24K video though I have upped my running to daily (as opposed to every other day) and my knee started bugging me (from a non-running-related injury) so I wasn't too worried about speed.  

I finished in 26:55 which isn't too bad for me, especially considering I was wearing a knee brace and I had run 5 miles the day before.  

The Race

It was an absolutely beautiful day in Portsmouth, NH.  You couldn't have asked for nicer weather for a 5K.  The turnout was decent; around 250 people.  There were some good sponsors, but a lack of presence from those sponsors at the race; which isn't always a bad thing.  

The course was really nice with a few short hills and the bulk of the run being small side roads without any traffic.  There was some serious diversity when it came to the runners in age and ability.  I would say that there were more over 40's than under 40's at the race...the guy who won though was 26 and ran a 5:02 mile!!!!  

If you live in or near the Seacoast you should definitely plan to do this race!  

Out of Hibernation 5K 

What have I learned?

Once you get to a certain point in your training, running every day really doesn't matter.  I was worried that I was going to end up doing a 10 minute mile, which is my typical relaxed pace when I'm running longer distances and I'm not concerned about my time.  I ended up running this faster than I had planned or expected considering I was going back-to-back with my running.  

Really, once you get to the point where you can run 5 miles without feeling like you are going to die by the end of it, your body can probably handle consecutive running days.  Once it becomes a daily routine you really, REALLY start looking forward to it rather than dreading it.  

Stats and Stuff

Time from 5K Sports: 26:55 (I think I was a few seconds faster than that, but I'm not complaining)

Temperature: 65ºF

Wind: Slight breeze, nothing to write home about

Gear

Shirt: Reliv TekShirt - Purchased from the company that I distribute for.  This is a really nice light weight shirt which isn't too heavy on the graphics

Shorts: Just some cheapo "athletic" shorts from a department store.

Underwear (because some people may want to know?): Underarmour compression underwear

Shoes: Vibram KomodoSport's - I LOVE these.  LOVE I tell you!  They are SO comfortable and have a touch more padding then the classics.

Fuel

Breakfast: Apple, small bowl of cereal with almond milk
Pre-race: 2oz of 24K (24K Link use VIP code: refresh) - this stuff is really great for both pre-race and post-race.  No jitters, no crash and I felt totally charged.
Post-race: 24oz water, banana.  Yep, that's it.  Did I REALLY want the chocolate muffins and donuts they had out?  YES!  That was probably the hardest part of the race was resisting all the goodies.  

Pictures!!

So here you go, some pictures (courtesy of the OOH 5K Flickr page)

 

Spring is here!!!!!

So here we are in April.  Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve come up with a new blog post! 

But I changed the background to reflect something more "springy."  Isn't that something?

What happened to the month of March?  Well, for a good portion of March I was fasting (no food or water from sunrise to sunset {Article on the Baha'i Fast}) and as such that ate into (pun intended there) my running time and kept me from doing any races as they are usually held during daylight hours. 

Okay, so April it is!  First up is the Out of Hibernation 5K in Portsmouth, NH on the 14th.  No major journey to get to this race, it’s just over the bridge.  I’m really excited about this race as it’s going to be a fast 5K and relatively flat and ALL proceeds go to the Seacoast Family Food Pantry (http://www.seacoastfamilyfoodpantry.org/). 

After that I’ve got a 5K in Kittery on the 20^th of May and I’ll be doing that pushing my 1 year-old in the jogging stroller.  I’ve got a few other events that are tentative and up on the right side of the page if you’re interested in checking them out. 

Tough Mudder

The BIG one that I’m REALLY excited about is the TOUGH MUDDER!!!!!!  That’s right, I’ve signed up, registered, paid, and it’s DONE!  I had planned to do the Tough Mudder in VT in May (on Mudder’s Day…no, I didn’t make that up, they did).  When I went to the website to sign up it was sold out.  Much to my surprise when I was showing a co-worker (who didn’t believe me) that it was sold out it there was yet ANOTHER race in VT, this one scheduled for July.  I immediately signed up.

If you have never heard of the Tough Mudder definitely check out the link I have on the right; they have some GREAT videos. 

The Tough Mudder is strike one for me to SERIOUSLY amp up my training.  12 miles, obstacle courses, potential July heat (not too worried about that one).  But wait….here comes strike two!

24k Video

I’ve been taking and distributing Reliv (reliv.com) products for a little while now; more on that later.  I’m going to be dedicating a page on this blog to Reliv.  I was contacted a few days ago by a Reliv representative, and they have asked if I’d be willing to star in a well produced video chronicling my Reliv story and shooting some video of my running.  Of course I said I would be happy to do it, it sounded like a great opportunity, etc. etc. 

Then I got to thinking….wait a second here.  Here I am, going to be in a HIGHLY publicized video online…running…and I DO NOT look like I should be on the cover of Men’s Health.  Well, it’s okay I have some time before they do this video.  Let’s see….when did they say they were going to be shooting…oh yeah, May 10^th-11^th!  So I have a month, one whole WHOPPING month to get as fit as I can. 

What am I going to do?

Um….well…I guess I should run?  Yep, that’s right.  This is a blog about running after-all.  I have a relatively slow metabolism and as such I’m going to go with the old math solution for getting rid of the last bits of gut.  Burn more calories than I consume.  Pure logic folks – if you eat 2000 calories (really, who does that these days?) and burn 2500, it’s hard to put on any more fat (notice I didn’t say impossible nor did I say weight). 

In order to get trim fit and looking like I should belong in a video advertising a product that helps improves one performance I’m going to do the following:

   1.       RUN LIKE CRAZY!  I’m going to try to up my running routine to at least 25-30 miles per week.  Maybe more if I can hack it. 

   2.       Eat like I want to live forever.  What does that mean?  No, there will be no bacon for breakfast (and I will cry; lots).  Vegetables and fruits will be my primary foods with nuts and beans mixed in for good measure.  Some eggs or fish perhaps, but probably no milk or cheese.

   3.       Strength training.  Check this out: Dumbbell Shovel you can’t get too much more of a complete strength workout than doing these.  I’ll also be doing pull-ups, push-ups, and anything and everything that will make my core HURT. 

   4.       WATER!!!!  I’m going to TRY to chug at least 4 liters of water a day.  That might be annoying on my 2 hour commutes, but I suppose I could get creative. 

That doesn’t sound too hard does it?  

PS: If anybody wants to check out 24K you can go here: my24kvip.com 

PPS: If you want to try some 24K and get a wicked good discount use my code: refresh