Not quite the week that I imagined.....

Well I got sick this week on Thursday (summer cold) and have felt horrible since then. I did run a three mile race on Tuesday at a 6:59 pace which is slower than last years 5k pace of about 6:50. I made the mistake of starting too fast and not warming up. I guess I was in quite better shape last year and was 10 pounds lighter. So on the bright side I feel pretty good that 10 pounds only adds about 10 seconds over three miles. My hamstrings were quite sore after and my right hip, which has been giving me problems for a while was hurting as well. I am not as concerned about the hamstrings but the hip hurts whenever I go hard or go long.

I did learn a lesson from running the three miles and that is that you have to get out and actually do it. I figured that I would run about a 6:30 pace based on last years 6:50 5k pace (3 miles is slightly shorter than a 5k (3.2 miles) and based on the basketball that I have been playing ( a lot of sprinting). Being off by 29 seconds/mile is quite a lot. I didn't factor in the brain fart of starting too fast and not warming up and I misjudged my fitness level. These types of mistakes will work over 3 miles but the longer distances will have their way with me. Without the proper training and preparation for 50 miles I will not have a chance.

I am confident in my plan to slowly build until the Northface 50k in September and believe that it will be a good test and allow me time to make adjustments before the 50 miler in November.

I did pick up some running clothes from Target (C9 collection) that were on closeout. I bought about 8 items for about $50 and only paid full price for two pairs of shorts. I also picked up some drywick shirts from Walmart. Other than buying new shoes as the need arises I am set in the clothing department, which is a huge relief. Part of my wishes that I would just go out and run and not have to worry about buying clothing and I still think that a plain old cotton shirt is the way to go for anything less than 5 miles and any other activity other than running or biking.