Back to running, BIG plans and RunKeeper

It has been almost a year since my last post – and almost a year since my last run. Not good. Time for change.

This year my plans are above and beyond ambitious: I am doing a half marathon! I know I am crazy: to run 13.1 miles after all this no-running time but I can do it!

How did this crazy idea come to my mind? Well, it all comes down to me not liking wasting anything. I had some about to expire Flying Blue miles (I got it from flying KLM) and I didn’t want them to go unused. I was not going to book a flight with KLM or AirFrance anytime soon and I didn’t have enough for an award ticket. The merchandise I had enough miles for was nothing I actually wanted or needed… but wait a minute, what is this? A race? Hm, sounds interesting. I had just enough miles to redeem for a single entry to a half-marathon in Paris, Amsterdam or Malibu. For obvious reason I picked Malibu. I happily redeemed my miles (and saved $69.00) for a Malibu International Half Marathon entry. It was back in January and I didn’t really think much about it. The race is November 16, 2014.

Now we are in May – and I know I want to do it. Time to start training. I don’t care about time and pace, all I want is get to the finish line – and in one piece:)

Today was the first day in a very long time when I put on my running shoes and got out of the door. My brand new iPhone is my new companion now, and of course, I downloaded RunKeeper. It is an app that track your progress, set goals and work towards them. Still new to it, but it seems cool.

Today I just wanted to run/walk for 3 miles. I knew I would not be able to run non-stop for 3 miles (last time I did it was in December 2012, ouch) so I opted for run/walk. Walking took up most of that but it helped me mentally to get back (I hope) to this running mind frame.

This is what I did today:

Distance: 2.88 miles

Average pace: 16:05/mi

Duration: 46:20

Calories burned: 293

RunKeeper allows you to set a goal and suggests a training plan to achieve it.

I picked a free one, Beginner Half Marathon to Finish. It consists of 64 sessions and starts June 10. The only problem with it is that I am not in shape to run 3 miles non-stop (this is what the plan tells you to do your first training day). Back in 2012 – no problem but now…

I turned to Google, and this is what I found: 14-week Couch to Half Marathon Training Plan.

It starts as a run/walk training, and this is what seems to be ok for me.

Let’s see how it works for me. Half Marathon training… both scary and exciting!

Santa Run Silicon Valley 2012

The last race of the year. It was supposed to be pure fun, and it was!

People dressed like Santas, reindeers, Christmas trees… you name it. I was wearing an elf hat, too! Christmas music. Ringing bells. Finish at Christmas in the Park. Everything was great except for one thing – the course. I think downtown San Jose can offer a better route. Running on the same street twice is less fun that just going from point A to point B.

My time was 35:23, and it was 5 sec more than my PR. Damn it! Oh well, I had fun, and it is all that matters.

Silicon Valley Turkey Trot 2012

I did it, I did it! I ran my first Silicon Valley Turkey Trot, and it was awesome!

More that 14K people showed up on Thanksgiving morning to run 5K or 10K and have fun. Many runners were dressed up.

It seemed the whole city was running, and it was a very special feeling to be a part of it.

I did 5K, and finished at 35:31. Still didn’t beat my PR of 35:17 but I had such a great time.

Before the race:

And after:

Silicon Valley Turkey Trot 2012. I am in!

I just registered for Silicon Valley Turkey Trot 2012! Very excited!

Fleet Feet Sports Women’s 5K

My third race so far and the first girls only race. Technically, anyone could sign up but I don’t think many guys would love a pink shirt saying “women’s”. After my not so good experience at the previous race I was both excited and scared. But I am so happy I did it. Well, Dave almost made me sign up for it since I was in doubt. Thank you honey!

The race was at  Shadow Cliffs Regional Park. The website provided no map and all I knew about the course was “Run is entirely inside Shadow Cliffs Regional Park, packed Jeep trail”. OK, I googled it and saw a lake in the park. Must be a shore run, I thought. When we arrived I was thrilled to realized we were to run on the hills. I mean it was really very hilly.

The package pick up was fast and smooth. I got a nice shirt and a great goodie bag. People started gathering and I got that positive excitement vibe I was lacking at the previous race.

We lined up on the lake shore and started running.

Hills, hills, hills… OMG it was tough! The first mile was ok, the second was hard, and the third which is normally easier than the second for me, was very hard. But I did it! I didn’t stop! I didn’t walk! I ran!!! I even had some water, took a couple of sips and poured the rest on my head. The day was getting hotter, and the legs were getting very very tired from the hills. When I crossed the finish line, I was exhausted.

The organizers greeted every finisher calling by their name and city, and everyone got a medal! My first medal ever! Yes, it is just a 5K finisher medal but after all the disappointment I was experiencing lately and the hard work I did beating those hills to me it felt like an Olympic gold:)))

With a medal on my chest, a bottle of water in one hand and an OCHO chocolate in another, I proceeded to the bench in the shade. I was so tired but I felt great.

The race was well organized with plenty of food including cupcakes and fruits. The only downfall was timing again. We had timers but the start line had no tracking device so we all got gun time.

My result was 35:54:3 (gun time) which placed me 109 out of 238. Well, I was at the very end at start so I think I might have PR’ed (my PR so far was 35:17:2). Plus the first course was flat – this one was hilly. I am happy and satisfied:)

We stayed till the end of the event, and I won a raffle prize! First time in my life. I got a nice kit of Aubrey cosmetics! Never tried it before. Exciting!

Overall, it was a great event with a challenging course.