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Finally biting the bullet and sending in this registration. 7 more weeks to prepare!

Running isn’t exactly a new topic on this blog. I first decided to lace up my shoes back in August of 2006 and ran my first 5k in September of that year. After the initial 5k I never trained much for the races. I’ve run the local Hog Wild Days 5k every year since then, but even then never trained much or cranked up the pace much. My race times evidenced that fact: I ran that first 5k in 31 minutes and change, and 4 years later I was still running right about 30 minutes for a 5k.

At some point this spring, though, some switch flipped in my head, and running became enjoyable and something of a compulsion. I started tracking my runs using runkeeper.com and being more regular with my running. I got in more than 50 miles in April, 47 in May, slacked in June whilst on vacation, and now I’m back at it in July.

My times are showing the improvement. I felt pretty darn sluggish for the Hog Wild Days 5k this year and still completed it in 27 minutes. Then I ran the Alliant Energy 8k on July 4th and completed that in right at 45 minutes.

At the moment I haven’t made a real decision on whether to work for distance or speed next, but I’m leaning towards distance. I ran a 6-mile route this morning and really enjoyed it. I’ve been tossing around the idea of running the New Bo Half Marathon over Labor Day weekend, but haven’t been brave enough to send in the registration form yet. Either way, it’s time for a new pair of shoes between now and then.

I’m still working on understanding why I enjoy running as much as I do. Partly it’s the personal challenge, proving to myself that I can stretch my body beyond where it’s gone before. Partly it’s also so nice to have my body feeling perpetually tired and sore rather than slow and sluggish. It’s also nice when the running helps take off a few pounds.

I doubt I’ll keep with the running long-term as seriously as I have this year, but it’s something I want to keep as a regular part of my life. 30 years from now I’d love to be one of those old guys I saw in the race on Monday, still chugging along and running 5 miles faster than a lot of the young guys.

I started my dalliance with running nearly 4 years ago. I was looking for some motivation to get off the couch and lose some weight, and figured that if I signed myself up for a race that the potential embarrassment of walking the whole thing might motivate me into action. I didn’t train too hard, but I made it through my first 5k in around 32 minutes.

I never devoted too much time to running. I’d hit the gym maybe once or twice a week when the weather was bad and do a couple of miles on a treadmill; maybe run a couple of miles outside if the weather was good. And I didn’t notice huge improvements in my times or endurance, but I kept at it, albeit intermittently.

Then came April 1 of this year. I don’t know what possessed me, but I was on the treadmill at the gym and ran 5 miles in 49 minutes. And, as with a few other times in my life, it was as if some sort of mental switch flipped. Suddenly running is enjoyable, something I don’t have to do, but rather that I want to do. (I wish I could figure out what it is that causes that switch to flip. There are other places in my life it’d be useful…)

I started tracking my runs on Runkeeper, which was great. (Android app + GPS in phone = easy run tracking!) I ran 16 times in April, for a total of just over 52 miles. I’ve been a little bit of a slacker in May so far - have only run 3 times for 12+ miles, but that included a 6-mile run. I’m losing weight (slowly), definitely building endurance, and feeling great doing it.

I’ve been tossing around ideas for a season-long motivator to keep me pushing this summer, and the one that’s tantalizing me is the New Bo Fest Half Marathon, held Labor Day weekend in Cedar Rapids. I don’t know how quickly I can add endurance and distance, but it seems like it’d be doable if I’m committed to putting in the time. I found a great little training app for my phone (Epic Runner) and I’m using it to push me along. I’ve not yet been brave enough to sign up for the race, but I think I will… soon.

I just filled out the entry forms for two 5K races in upcoming months: the Marion Arts Festival 5K (May 19) and the Hog Wild Days Squeal’n’Run 5K (June 16). The latter, happily, starts and ends at Gutheridge Park, only 4 blocks or so from my house. While I don’t expect to be competitive in either of the races, they provide some good motivation for me to keep training. I’ve been getting lazy these last few weeks. Can’t let that continue!

I got out for a run yesterday afternoon - probably the first time in 2 weeks that I’ve run. It feels good to be a little bit sore this morning. It’s going to be hard to get too motivated to run these next few days - it’s gonna be cold and windy. But we just got a membership to the MAC (a local gym) so I’ll be using it instead.

Within the next month they should have the satellite MAC complete and open; it’s going to be only about a mile from home. And my good friend and former associate pastor John Wilbur will be co-managing it. Excellent. They are also bragging about individual 19" LCD TVs on every treadmill and elliptical. Almost sounds like overkill… almost.

I guess my 5K race running is done for the fall; the only ones remaining around here are on Sunday mornings. Grrrr. I’ll have to keep busy on the treadmills over the winter and then I’ll be ready for some spring races. I could get into this running stuff.

Last Saturday I ran in my first-ever 5K, the Solon High School Spartan Fund Run. They had a few hundred folks show up, many to do the half-mile and mile walks, another 83 for the 5K, and mabe a few dozen for a 10K. My sister Rebecca had agreed to run it with me, so we got up early and headed down on the 30-minute drive to Solon.

The race was done well; the organization was good, the t-shirt design was pretty decent, and they had procured a bunch of donated food which was good as a late breakfast after the run.

The one thing this 5K had that I hadn’t trained for was hills! I didn’t realize how flat my neighborhood course is until I got out there and had long uphill climbs at both the beginning and end of the race. And the last half-mile not only did you have to go uphill, but you were running directly into a 15 mph wind. But, we toughed it out. There were 83 competitors in the 5K, and I came in 53rd in a time of 31:12. Rebecca came in 69th in about 35:00. (Reba, leave your exact time in a comment and I’ll fix it here.) I didn’t get under 30, which had been my goal, but at least it was a good test.

I think I’ve got the bug; I’m looking for another race around here yet before the season is over. The one that’s reasonably close and on a day I could make it isn’t a 5K, though - it’s a 5-mile. I’m not sure if I’ll be ready for that by November 12 or not.

Well, my last training run before the Solon 5K on Saturday. I woke up before my alarm this morning (no small feat when the alarm is set for 5:10 am!) and headed out on my usual 3.2 mile course. It was a beautiful early morning, chilly and brisk, the sky bright, clear, and full of stars.

For not having run much the past two weeks, my times were ok:

Mile 1: 7:38. A nice brisk pace. Mile 2: 9:59 (total: 17:37). Slowed a bit here, was starting to feel it by about the last 1/4 mile. Mile 3: 10:38 (total: 28:16). That long hill the last quarter mile gets me every time. Total time: 30:39. Didn’t quite get in under 30:00. :-(

My goal for the 5k on Saturday is to get in under 30:00. Should be a fun test.