Race Report - Texas Independence 5K

Yesterday was the Texas Independence 5K at the San Jacinto Battlefield in LaPorte. I was really excited about it when I signed up for it because I've never been out there even though it is only 15 minutes from my house. For all those non-Texans, the Battle at San Jacinto was the decisive battle of the Texas Revolution. Two of the biggest features at the site are the monument (571 feet tall) and the Battleship Texas that last fought in WWII.

The weather was cloudy and grey, chilly (around 64), and windy. Not optimal! My goal was to get a sub-40 minute time but unfortunately I didn't make it. Last 5K I ran with Rachel I did it in 39:45 with an average pace of 12:49. BUT that average pace is a little deceptive. When we started that race we were running really fast for the first 3/4 mile...like 11:30 pace. That was way too fast so I had to slow down after that. I was exhausted at the end of the race and all day. I didn't want to do that again for this race and I have really been working hard on keeping a constant pace outside.

To help me, I set my run keeper to only tell me my average pace every 2 minutes. Normally it tells me time, distance, and pace every 5 minutes but I knew 5 minutes was too long to correct the pace. It is strapped to my arm so I can't really look at it while running plus every time I try to play with my phone while I am running it makes me kinda dizzy.

I ran the first mile straight with a little over a 13 minute mile pace. I'm pretty happy with that. I was getting a little fatigued as I went and my pace kept getting a little slower and slower as I went. For the last part of the race we had to lap around this circle once and then part of it again before hitting the finish line. So when I was doing my lap around and passed the finish line it was at 36 minutes so I had a feeling that when I actually crossed it I wouldn't make my 40 minute goal.

Honestly I was kind of disappointed with myself that I didn't get a sub-40 time but this engine just didn't have any more steam. I could always say that I could have done this better or done that better but it doesn't really matter now. All I can do is just keep working harder and eventually I know I will get it.

So I learned a few things here:
1) I am getting better at keeping a constant pace! Yay!
2) I can run a whole mile outside so I need to make myself start doing that.
3) You can't PR every race it is an accomplishment just getting out there.

Here are a few pics I took...you can see how gloomy it was out there.

As you probably know I am not from Texas but I love their spirit and humor. :)

I have a 10K coming up in 3 weeks back home in New Orleans and my next 5K is April 20th. I will be working hard to get my sub-40 then!

Until later, happy running!
Jamie

Progress Photos - January 2012 to January 2013

I already posted this on FB the other day but I thought I would post it here too. It is similar to the one I posted the other day but I managed to find a (small) picture of me this time last year. I don't have many recent before photos because I have tried to stay away from the camera! And the biggest thing is that I wrote down my weight for the first time online...eek! That was scary but a little liberating!

I'm really excited about my progress and think I will post another comparison photo in a couple months. It has been awesome to get such positive feedback from everyone!

Until later, happy running!

Every Little Bit Counts

I finally committed to getting healthy at the end of July when I got back from Italy, and until now, I have been that pissy "this isn't happening fast enough" kind of person. I don't mean to be, really. I am generally a happy, positive person...but dang...I've been working hard and I haven't really felt like I look different.

But this week, I feel like I found my first results! Finally!

Result #1 - I am finally feeling a little thinner and moved down a size in jeans about 2 weeks ago. They fit perfectly when I put them on and feel really good. Right now I don't dry them in the dryer, but I think I can start to. And the even better news is that I don't think these are going to last me a really long time! I think I will go buy the next size down and hang them on my wall to occasionally try on until they actually fit. My favorite jeans are Gap (outlet) Long and Lean. I'm almost 5'8" and they fit my proportions well.

Result #2 - I pushed myself yesterday at the park (I'm still a little "off" from the flu last week) and beat my last 10K time. Even though it's not "fast", it's progress...especially since it was 44 degrees (but thankfully still sunny) outside! I ended up with a 14:39 pace (it took me 1:30:49 total). The last mile and a half I still tend to get tired, but it's getting easier! I felt much better about it than I did a month ago for the Turkey Day 10K.

Result #3 - The scale at WW is going down and I'm close to my 5%! I weighed on Monday but couldn't stay for the meeting so I went back today. Since I was there, I unofficially weighed and was down 2.2 lbs since Monday! The Monday scale said I only lost 0.2 last week, so I think some of that 2.2 from today hadn't show up yet. So hopefully, I can keep doing well until Tuesday or Wednesday when I go to the next meeting and make my 5%. I think I need to lose 0.2 more in addition to that 2.2 loss today to officially get there.

Result #4 - It is getting easier to make better choices. Not that I am perfect, but I am planning more and really thinking about whether something is worth the points before I just shove it into my mouth. I have gone out to Mexican 3 times in the last month and didn't eat a single chip. In fact, I wasn't even tempted. Sure they taste good, but not THAT good, and they certainly aren't worth those points! Each time, I walked into the restaurant with the resolve not to eat any chips, so I didn't. The only high calorie indulgence I have found so far that was worth the points was a gourmet cupcake Jen B. gave me while back. That was ridiculously delicious. In most cases, I just remind myself that this isn't the last ______ on Earth and at some point in the future I can eat it if I want to. That usually helps.

Result #5 - I am getting better about eating smaller portions. Tonight I went out with my family and was going to order something "healthy" but I really just wanted a burger and fries. So that is what I got! Except I cut the (big) burger in half and ate one half plus only half of the fries. I also sampled a few bites from my mom and my uncle's plates of things that I knew were bad choices for me. But, I wasn't bothered at all that I hadn't cleaned my plate. It felt REALLY good to walk away from that other half of the burger!

Result #6 - I realize that I don't mind being a little hungry sometimes. Those of us aren't skinny generally keep eating so we aren't ever really hungry. I think we might even have this subconscious fear of actually being hungry. But I realized that being a little hungry isn't such a bad thing. It means I am paying attention to my body and only adding fuel to it when needed. I am also working on breaking the habit of eating until I am full...now I focus on eating until I am satisfied and not hungry anymore.

So while I still have a LOOOOOONG way to go on my journey, I am going to remember these small accomplishments and let them help push me towards the bigger accomplishments.

Source: 25.media.tumblr.com via Sean on Pinterest

Until later, happy running!
Jamie