My 3rd 5K

So I ran.

The weather was kinda forgiving this time. It actually rained earlier today but I was not really scared of it. It stopped after an hour. I thought it was awesome because it cooled down the planet just a bit. The temperature today was lower than yesterday which was 98 degrees. I had to hang out at Walmart to stay cool. wink** Thank God.

This race is my 3rd and I was on fire. Well, maybe it was more because of my series of "hot flashes" attacks so nothing too dramatic about it. But yes, I am happy and more optimistic with this run because I am with Heather, my stepdaughter and now my running buddy. Yes, I finally found a running buddy so her father... a.k.a. My Sweetest will not worry anymore whenever I train on the road. And yes, Heather and I have future plans for our succeeding "races". Hurray!

Moving on, we reached the race venue early. And for the update and a little info on today's race... here we go:

1. Weather: Okay. Kinda cloudy but a okay. It felt cooler especially with a little sprinkling here and there. But the sprinkling stopped 20 minute before the race started.

2. Accessibility to venue: Better - Heather drove, that's why. Glad she did because Tom-Tom [my GPS]will surely make me go around in circles again. Whew!

3. Porta-potty Condition: As Usual - Ok because I was the first one to use it so... still clean. Hahahaha

4. Trail Condition: Awesome - It was at the Back Cove Trail, in Portland Maine and we have a great vista of the cove. Though I didn't pay much attention because I was concentrating on my breathing.

5. Speed: Slow. I was just jogging. hahaha well, modesty aside there were some who did just that. I was the 95th finisher. There were 107 registrants. So I was not the 5th to the last. LOL.

6. Time: Unimpressive. I clocked in at 38:52. It was 8 minutes over my PR goal.

7. Attitude: Impressive: I jogged all the way to the finish line. I never stopped to walk but rather I jogged slow and steady from start to finish and that is impressive indeed. It meant so much to me because I know I already built some kind of endurance.

8. Perks: Freebies: I got new shirt and coupons and power bars. Yay. Well, I am beginning to suspect that I am after the freebies than to running per se. What do you think?

9. Future Plan: Run, truly run, for Pete's Sake! Yes, next time I will try to run. Maybe then, I will finally get my PR goal. Well, of course I need to continue training and with that in mind, I need more motivation and determination. So help me God! wink*

Lastly, just one funny inessential thing that happened today - the guy in the registration table where we got our bib got messed up with our numbers. Heather got my number and I got hers. Heather finished 3 minutes ahead of me but when the final result was posted it turned out that I finished 3 minutes ahead of her. Wooohooo! So for my over-all assessment of my performance today - it was simply awesome.

I am looking forward for my 4th race.

Pre-5k Itch

Ok, I am scheduled to run again tomorrow and I don't know if I will survive it. LOL. The other day, instead of running I decided to go for ice cream with my step-son. I had strawberry cheesecake. Yum. Then we headed down the beach on our way home and cool off a bit.

Well, we are battling "heat wave" here so I'm hoping that it will not be too hot and humid tomorrow. Yesterday, I went for my regular 3-mile run and boy, I thought I would die right there on the road. It was so hot and the breeze was like the air coming out from the dryer's vent.

I should have went down the river instead. But I know it will not cool me off either. The entire planet felt like a huge outdoor sauna. It was indeed not the smartest decision I made yesterday. So now I just stayed home the whole day drinking gallons of ice-cold water and planning to carbo-load a little later. Thinking of Chinese again. hayyyy

Tomorrow will be my 3rd 5k race and just like the first two, I have no expectations. I just want to run and have fun. I will not look for anybody unassuming to run with to spare myself from the humiliation. I still not over the last experience I had with that awesome old lady during my 2nd 5k in Gray last May. This time, I will be running with Heather, my step-daughter. I am just so glad that finally I will run with somebody I know and will not feel so alone.

And tomorrow... after the race - Heather and I are planning to go shopping for - yes, SHOES!

This One's for Austin!

Since I started liking races, I have ran 2 races already and have walked a couple too. Those were all for a good cause. Those races I joined in were events made to help Cancer Research for Maine [Mary's Walk-March], Fundraising for the athletes [Boney Eagle Scot Trot-March], a march to save the babies [March of Dimes-May] and my most recent which is a cause to help a school and a community [Patriot 5k "Lap Around the Lake"-May].

On Saturday, the 4th of June, I am scheduled to probably walk [since I don't have the time to train] for another cause - 5 Mile Dog Walk for a Cancer which will be held at 9am to noon in Lake Arrowhead Community at Victoria Lane East Tennis Court North Waterboro.

This event is perhaps the most important race I will participate in not because it is another event to support a special cause... but because, the cause is meant for Austin Hudson.

Austin is the reason why I am working part-time as Ed Tech at Waterboro School. He is a typical 9-year old boy who loves being with his friends, likes to run and play, enjoys Math, Art and Computer subjects and more importantly, who loves his independence and his ability to discover, learn and do new things on his own. But last year, he was diagnosed with brain cancer and now in recuperation. The struggle is continuous and indefinite as we all know of most cancer patients.

I have not known Austin until I was assigned to work with him. However, I could tell in his eyes that he is a fighter. His spirit is tough but his body is so fragile. That is why no matter how much he likes to go to school everyday ,it is a constant struggle as well. I have only worked once a week for 2 hours in the past 4 weeks with him but this week, he was able to come to school 2 days in a row and that is "huge".

This Saturday... we are going to run or walk [whichever you prefer] for him. It's a Dog Walk actually, but Sarah, Austin's mom said you don't need to have one to join. [Good, thing I was already on my way to buy a dog just to join, LOL] But if you cannot join us... you can still support and help by donating to Austin Hudson Family Fund. Donations can be deposited directly at SIS Bank. Details on the event can be found in Facebook too.

So, come and join us... in person... with your dog [on a leash, please] or your friends and family... or in spirit [by donating] and let's all walk for Austin.

See you there!

Win-Win Situation

I am in stiletto mode nowadays. However, that is not the reason why I have not been seriously back in training mode.

But there are several reasons why I run or shall I say "why I should run". As if someone is really asking or interested in knowing what those reasons are. But I will share with you the reasons why, anyways. And for that you have no choice. LOL

Reason 1. I bought 3 new pairs of VS bathing suits online. They're on sale so I went crazy not realizing that those bathing suit look better on pictures... on that particular model... and on that particular body. So there you go... I got the shipment and I tried it on. I didn't like it. I was like totally in, "that's-what-you-get-for-being-cheap kinda mode"... but I do know the reason why it didn't look good on me. And I am not going to answer that question. PERIOD!

Reason 2. When I signed up for my first Walk, I realized that with your registration fee, you get free t-shirt [when you pre-register], a lot of freebies like water bottles, bottles with water, pedometer, bookmarks, bags with sponsor's name on it, coupons, etc. and food. Yes, you get free breakfast of donuts, bagels, coffee, bananas and snack after the race. So the question is, will I really lose weight here after the race? BIG QUESTION MARK!

Reason 3. Then, since most of the races are for a "cause"... I believe that I am helping a good cause. I am being a good citizen! EXCLAMATION POINT!

Well, I have not really started training again for my next 5K for varied reasons. One is that I am working part-time as Ed Tech in the school where I am assigned as the Site Leader of the Kids Out Enrichment Program of the YMCA. Although I could still go for a 30 minutes run around the track on my way home since I only work for 2 hours... my mind and stomach are always debating if I should run or not. And my stomach always wins.

At hindsight, maybe the best title for this post should be - WIN-WIN-WIN-WIN Situations! What do you think?

What a record!

I just came back from my regular or rather, irregular run since I wasn't able to really run the way I actually planned. I ran or shall I say jogged [that's more it seemed it was really to those who might have been spying on me] 6 times around the oval track encircling the Bonny Eagle High School Football field plus 2 rounds for the warm-up and cool-down.

Yes, I went around the track 6 times without stopping! Whew, it's a record. I usually jog and walk alternately around it because I was tired after one whole lap around it. So that is indeed a record.

One week passed after I did my 2nd 5K. I am now ready to start training again for the next race scheduled on the 23rd of July. I just wish that the weather will cooperate.

My 2nd 5K

I know, I have not written here for awhile. I can come up with lots of alibis but I chose not to. The weather is mean up here in Maine and training plans are always messed up. Anyway, I finally did my second 5K today, and that is something worth writing about. Yes, today I joined the 2nd Annual Patriot 5k "Lap Around the Lake" in Gray Maine.

I set out early today so I can have enough time to people watch. This is one of the things I enjoy doing before the race. I arrived about 45 minutes early and I got the best parking. That is very very important.

I picked up my bib about 30 minutes and did not wait one second to pin my number on my belt.I had enough time to check out the porta-potty twice. Whew, blame it to the tea I drank at breakfast. Then, I people watched. I watched kids doing the hula hoop competition... people doing their routine stretching... volunteers doing their tasks diligently... and yes, fashionista runners cruising along in their best trendy running outfits.

So why do I "people watch"? It relaxes me. It gives me time to weigh myself... gives me time to psyche myself up that I can cross the finish line without embarrassing myself... gives me a chance to look for someone I can run with and hopefully make a friend after the race... and yes, gives me an idea of the latest trend in sports fashion runway. wink.

SO... we started on time. I met someone who looked less threatening... so I thought. She was alone or shall I say without anyone she was talking to or someone she seemed to be running with because most of the runners there seemed to be in a group. So I decided to run with her. She is in her 60s. There, I have someone who can keep up with my "slow pace"... and so I thought again.

As we started running we started to get to know each other. We just chatted during the first few yards but since we were running it was hard to really talk. As we went a little further, we kept quiet. And she was nice enough to tell me... "I can't talk while running because I am concentrating on my breathing." Good point! Then I replied... "Yes, I understand. Maybe we can talk again when we walk.". Then she replied back... "Oh No, I don't plan to walk!" Bam!

She didn't walk. She ran all the way to the Finish Line. Leaving me behind. hahaha.

Well, I did a great job running today. I am so proud of myself despite my funny experience with Alice. I finished 318th among the 405 runners who joined the race. That is historical for me. I was not the 5th to the last to cross the finish line and I clocked in 36 minutes and 45 seconds which is more than 6 minutes less than my first 5k which is 40:48.

I am so proud of myself for doing a great job today. To think that I didn't get the chance to really train due to bad weather I still did it in less time of my original PR. I met a new friend and learned new things about running... one of which is to run on an easy pace and don't walk [if you can]. I didn't realize that I can ran without stopping. Well, I was able to ran without stopping for the first mile and a half but I had to walk for 2 minutes because my shin was kinda bothering me.

I guess I ran most of the time today compared to my 1st 5k. I did walk for a total of about 5 minutes for the duration of the race. And yes, crawling to the finish line was never an option.

The Letter Courier

I mailed letters today.

It's not raining today so I decided to bring my "snail mails" to the Post Office on foot, well, on running shoes actually. But I am no snail. Nope, I walked, ran and jogged all the way to the P.O. to mail my letters.

It took me 147 step/m [about 16,421 steps] from home to PO and back which is 6.12 miles [good enough for a 10k huh, wink*]. I burned 753 calories and clocked it at 1:51:51. Geez... I am a snail, indeed! It is actually my "dream" PR if I qualified [which I doubt it] for the NYC Marathon. hahaha.

Well, nothing can stop a runner to find good opportunity to train. I may be slow but it felt so good though. I am happy that my knee is not complaining too.

Next time, will try to cut the time in half ... or a quarter. Or better yet... I should stick to sending e-mail instead. wink*

Still smiling after my 6.12 m courier errand