Another Race

I ran my third race this past weekend - The Great Raleigh Road Race. This one was a little different in that instead of a 5K (which is just over 3 miles) this race was 4 miles long. I hadn't done anything that long yet. I was running about 4.5 miles during my workouts.

My friend Jen ran with me again. She is so good to me - thinks of things for us to talk about to take our mind off the running - encourages me - gives me pep talks as we go. I wasn't sure what to make for my goals for this race because it was going to be a different length than the others. Again - I wanted to not stop and to not be last. In general I wanted to improve my pace. My second race "Run the Quay" had me finishing 3 miles in 40 minutes with a 13-something pace. My first race The Skirt Chaser had me finishing 3 miles in 45 minutes with a 14:30 pace.

Well, for this race I finished in 49:18. That put my pace at 12:20! I didn't stop, and I wasn't last. Although - there weren't too many people behind me. I think Jen and I came in at 344 and 345 out of 350. OUCH! But I was still very proud of myself for my accomplishment in improving my pace time again.

I have totally caught the running bug and am already working on upping my workout mileage in preparation for a 10K in the fall. I am recruiting other friends at work to run this one as well. It is the Running of the Wolves on October 24. I need to think on what my goals for that race will be seeing as how it's so much longer. Jen has also planted a seed in my head about a half marathon in 2010. She is running her first this fall. I hope to cheer her on! She has been such an incredible inspiration to me.

It is still such a crazy thing to me to even hear myself say that I am going to do a 10K and possibly a half marathon! It's like hearing a different voice in my head. But I seriously CRAVE running. If for some reason I skip a few days of running - I itch to get back on the road. While we were on vacation a couple of weeks ago I ran 4 or 5 times while we were gone. When I didn't run I did the elliptical or the bike. It was my morning routine and it got me going for the day. I was usually up and back from my workout before the rest of the family even got up. That is SO NOT ME! I love to sleep in. But especially in the heat of summer, if I don't run first thing in the morning I have a hard time running later in the day.

As I start to get into longer distances I really need to work on my hydration and fueling my body for the runs. I struggle big time with getting enough water or fluids in on a regular day and I am starting to notice times of dehydration after I have a longer run. I have taken to drinking a lot of G2 Gatorade. I also really like Vitamin Water. It's a good way for me to rehydrate as well as get a few extra calories in on days when eating is a chore. (Yes, I just said there are days when eating is a chore - who knew?)