In Which It Was A Doozy (3 Times)

This week I ran 10 miles. Double digits baybeee!!!! It was a gorgeous, sunny Chicago morning. Slightly warm, but not too hot. The city looked beautiful, the lake was calm and shiny, and everybody was in a good mood. Yay! This was also my first week back to running group after two weeks on my own (because getting up at 6 am is haaarrd). Along the way I saw a boat named Perseverance II and we passed under Solidarity Drive. Clearly, all were symbols of our (read: my) awesomeness. I definitely benefitted from running with new friends and chatting along the way. They benefitted because they made me pacer, which was a bad idea. I made them run some miles too fast, because I am a bad pacer, or because I am a good motivator. You choose which.

In honor of my 10 mile success I have set myself a lofty goal for this week: To get ten people to donate to my marathon fund. I've been daunted lately by the huge dollar signs I am supposed to raise, so I thought "Why not break it down like I do my training?" Folks, this is totally doable, and the best part is it can be 10 people donating $1 each, or any other amount. I know, I know, this is how your bank account might feel after you donate:

It's how I felt after my 10 miles, too!

But I promise, this is how you will feel inside after you donate money that helps people get clean water:

.

So proud you might even eat a banana!

I know, because that's how I feel after I run and fundraise to get people clean water! Click the link in my pages section, or just go here!

The other thing I did this week was run my first race! That's right! The Burger and Beer 5k, which I ran with my best running buddy (also one of my accountabilibuddies), Vashti! Technically we did not run this with one another as she was going for a super speedy time. But we waved at eachother at the halfway point!

This run supported the Special Olympics, which was really cool and a cause that my parents are very fond of. They have volunteered at the Special Olympics and have awesome stories about getting hugs from the participants at finish lines, etc. This time the S.O. participants were giving me water, so it felt very full circle and smiley.

I was not planning on running any races before the marathon, and certainly not any 5ks. I mean, I do 3 miles two times a week, and my other runs are longer than that, so they're not really an "event" for me anymore. Here's why I'm glad I did it: 

• It was really cool to see so many fitness levels working hard in the same place. There were 60 year old men out there beating everyone, 12 year olds who are faster than me, and people who just hoped to run the whole race.  It gave me a lot of perspective in how far I've come and how far I could (read: will) go.
• I'm really glad I participated in a race before the 'thon. It's really different from running on your own. I found it very difficult to know how fast I was going because I was in an entirely new environment. You're so surrounded by people that it is difficult to find any stationary objects to gauge your pace off of.
• I now know what it feels like to run with so many people, and try to compete with myself instead of them. I feel a little more prepared for race day. Yay prep and research!
• I got a beer and burger at the end.  

The super secret twist ending is that because I had so much trouble with my pace (aka I like to pass people, and I actually could!) that I ran the whole thing at an 8.23 minute mile. That means I beat my pace group, and went waaay faster than I expected to go. It also means that if I do the same thing at the actual 'thon I'll poop out after 3 miles. Lesson hopefully learned. Hopefully.

And here we are! Post race (hence the crazy eyes and sweat) but pre burger and beer reward. 

We went fast!

So there you have it! Running my first double digits, and an actual 5k. Pretty big 3 days. Think how much more awesome this week will be if I can just get to my 10 people! A big huzzah to Lizzy and Juan who made donations one and two to start me off right. Thank you!!!! Let's keep it up!


Edit: Official Race results!

I came in at 25:26, meaning I actually ran an 8:13 min mile. 
I came in 30th in my female age bracket.
I came in 345th overall. 
As far as I can tell, there were 1,230 participants and 194 in my age bracket. 
I will let those numbers speak for themselves.

The "Post Pre-Training" Post

Well folks, I ended pre-training as I began it. In the rain. The cold, horrible, wet rain. But it was neat to see myself dive out there and run (that's right, run) a 5k. Technically I did a little extra. 3.4 miles with no stopping, no walking, no slowing down. (Ok... maybe some slowing down.) I am immensely proud of myself. Here is what this experience showed me:

1) It's almost 2 months later, and I'm still running! How bout that!

2) I ran 3.1 miles in 30.33 minutes. Based on this time I am projected to finish the marathon in 4 hours 47 minutes - 5 hours 6 minutes. (That's a goal race pace of roughly an 11 minute mile.)

3) I should train in the 12 minute mile pace group for group runs.

4) Um, I freaking DID it!

Here's what I'm really proud of: the pace group suggested is the first group on the list that does not run intervals. I am incredibly proud of that. I did just start running, after all. I ran the whole thing, and I ran my 3 miles today. And I will only get better at this. We do 5k "test runs" throughout training to check in and calculate our progress. I feel I started very well, and can't wait to see my improvement next time.

Here's what I'm discouraged about: 4 hours 47 minutes to 5 hours 6 minutes. I have to run for five hours. I mean... I don't think I can. When I think about running a marathon I think "yeah, I can do that!" When I think about running for FIVE HOURS!? No way. Absolutely not. Impossible. 

I'm trying to remind myself that first of all, they told us to run all out as fast as we could for the 5k. Since this was my first time running without intervals, I did not do that. I took my normal pace to make sure I didn't burn out. I know I could have done it faster. 

In addition, I still have five more months of training. My test runs will improve. My endurance will improve. My everything will improve. Which means my goal pace and projected time should both get smaller. So maybe (please oh please) it won't be five hours of running. 

A couple of lovely things happened this week to keep me going. I finally ran far enough south (and east) on the lake shore trail to see this view:

No, not the guy fishing! The downtown skyscrapers and Navy Pier on the far left!

I know that the perfect blueness of the sky and water have been washed out (seriously, iPod Touch, it looks like it's been instagrammed already. What gives?), and the buildings look much smaller in the photo than they did in real life (just like mountains, you can never quite capture them right) but this was pretty impressive. It was my first view of downtown as a runner. The view all the athletes in films about Chicago see as they stride gloriously in all types of weather. This view, combined with a trip back home to Nebraska where I ran in gorgeous weather (except for 5k day) made this week an enjoyable running week.

I would also like to say Happy Birthday to my Mom. Thank you for raising me, birthing me, letting me visit and all that stuff, but guys, she followed Gabby's lead! She donated her birthday money to my fund as well, claiming both miles 5 and 6 (seems like a good time to get a boost from your mom). Thanks Mom! You're the best! I'm starting to feel on a roll with this fundraising, as we've already helped six people get fresh clean water for their whole lives. Thank you all for your help and support. Let's keep the ball rolling and the water flowing!