Friday, April 30, 2010

May 15th - 10k race - quickie post

I did it! I signed up for my first 10k. Woo! It'll be in Charlotte (Ballatyne area), and I'm not sure that it's for a particular cause. I think it may just be a race, which is fine - but I do enjoy having a purpose behind my running! :)

I found one on that same day that I would have LOVED to do, but it's about two hours from here. It's the Walk for Water, and they're raising money to dig wells in Kenya - love it!! If it weren't two hours away, I would do that one in a heart beat!!

Happy running. :)

Thursday, April 29, 2010

short 2 mile run?

When did I ever believe that running 2 miles would be considered a "short" run? When did I ever believe that I would actually go on a run? lol Well today, I went on a 2 mile run, and it felt great. I've been debating my "next step" as a runner lately. I was set on training for a half marathon (13miles, I think), but when I was looking at dates for half marathons in my area, I couldn't find any that were around the time that my training would finish up. So, I've postponed that a bit for now. bah

However!! I did find one on September 18th, which is only 2 days before my 25th birthday. I figured it'd be a fun way to celebrate the big 2-5. Only problem is that it's an hour and a half away, so I'd have to get a hotel room for that Friday night probably. So, that's an option. If I do this one, my training will begin in about a month probably. There's also one in December that's in Charlotte, which would be perfect - it's just so far from now! So...I'm still debating which to do. We'll see!!

For now, I decided to play around with some tempo training to work on my pace. That was going to be my goal today, but it was so bright outside that I couldn't see the stopwatch on my phone very well. Sooo..I started thinking about what I could do to help with knowing when to run and when to sprint, and I came up with an idea! When I started C25K, I used Robert Ullrey's Podcast, which I highly recommend for anyone just starting out as he tells you when to walk and when to run (so that you do the intervals). I wasn't sure about his choice of music at first, but I got used to it and enjoyed it.

So, my idea is to use his podcasts again to help me know when to run and when to sprint, and I'll just go through the C25K program, but with a bit of an Ellen-twist to it. I'm not sure how far into the program I'll go this time, but I think it'll be interesting to see how it works for me!! I'll let you know. :)

Now - to find out how I can get the podcasts to play while I use my Nike+. This will be my task tonight, I do believe! Happy running, my friends!

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Meet the Wannabe

There once was a young teacher who envied runners.

They must find such great relief in their runs, and of course they look so very cool out there running their little hearts out. Oh, how she wanted to be one. But oh how she could not run.

Until she found the program. The program that changed it all. Couch to 5k, affectionately known as C25k. The 9 week program helps you become a runner through baby steps. And baby steps is what she needed!


The journey began November 20, 2009, with W1D1 (Week 1 Day 1) of C25K. It involved much sweat and a few tears, but it was finally over March 1, 2010 (okay, more than 9 weeks, but life gets you sometimes!). However, no matter how long it took, she was ecstatic once she reached the end!!


Before she even finished the program, she ran in her first 5k race on February 20, 2010 (Cupid's Cup in Charlotte, NC). Her amazing cousin ran it with her, and they had a ton of fun!


She finished this race in 31min 53sec - great time for a first 5k!! She did her second 5k on March 13, 2010 (Get Your Rear in Gear benefiting Colon Cancer). Her "team" had nifty shirts, including a baby's hiney, but she personalized her and made it a bit more modest for her tastes...


Although she wanted to improve her time, she completed this race in 32min 22sec - about 30sec more than her previous time. Arg! Her third race was April 17, 2010 (Come See Me). Her two cousins ran in this race as well!


This time, she finished in 29min 1sec!!! WOO! This was her personal best, and she even went below 30min!! She also received an award towel for placing 2nd in her division of ladies.

[picture coming soon]

Since completing C25K, she has been working with the One Hour Runner (OHR) program to train for a 10k, which she will run in on May 15th. She ran her full hour yesterday, and went about 5.95 miles - not too shabby for an hour!


She will soon be starting training for a half marathon - training start date and race date are both still TBA! She has a great support system in her parents, who attend all of her races, and also keeps herself accountable by posting on the C25K forums.

Who is this person we speak of? (I just realized that I've been typing in third person this whole time! lol) My name is Ellen Justice - nice to meet you! Join me on my journey to becoming a true Road Runner!