Friday, December 23, 2011

Catching a fever....the running FEVER!

Yesterday, I went out for day 2 of my running quest...and there's even a picture to prove it!. The weather was perfect. A little cool, no wind and slightly overcast. I learned a valuable lesson yesterday. Taking a few minutes to stretch before running really pays off in the end. Unlike day 1, parts of me that were on fire the day before did not hurt at all. Although I must say I did reach for the Ibuprofen as soon as I got home. We did 3.2 miles total and I actually ran the 1st mile without stopping to walk!  For me, that is a huge accomplishment. This time last year I could not run more than 30 seconds. I ran the mile in 8 minutes.  I am very encouraged now. I learned that interval training is not for me. I want to run as much as I can each time and try to beat that the next day. I have almost 7 weeks before the actual date of the 5K  run so I am sure I will be good and ready.  I am looking forward to going again today. Stay tuned.....as the Kenyan Runner is unleashed. It's in the genes....somewhere in there. I can feel it!

Thursday, December 22, 2011

It's in the genes....or is it?

I have heard the comment way too many times. "Oh, you're from Kenya! are you a runner?". I can usually see the comment coming way before they even say it. Then there's my kids. The never ending taunt..."come on mom, you are from Kenya, run, run!".  So having said that, I have decided to do the unimaginable...the unthinkable. I, who strongly HATES to run, have decided to run a MARATHON...well, maybe just a 5 K run. But to me it's a MARATHON!  Actually what I want is to sport one of those 13.1 stickers on my car, but I have to start from somewhere. Well, last night was day one of the next few weeks of training for a 5 K MARATHON. My trainer (who will remain nameless) informed me that "we" are running two 5 K MARATHONS back to back! So the pressure is on.  Day one training started with one hour of Jazzercise followed by 1.5 mile run/trot in 22 minutes. The Kenyan in me is beginning to come out real strong. I can feel the fight in me. This time next year I will be running a full marathon. But for now, the 5 K MARATHON, here we come!