Results

Race results are posted here today.

My results:
85th of 153 women with a time of 33:42 and a 10:51 pace
8th in my age group (25-29)
190th of 275 overall

Not too shabby.

RACE DAY!!!

Ah, it's all over. It was definitely...an experience. :) I did get a sweet long-sleeved t-shirt though:


Let's begin with the weekend as a whole. I went out with some grad students from my program Friday night, stayed out too late, had awkward flashbacks of my undergrad career, and woke up about 7 hours later. I made my way to Decatur Saturday afternoon to meet up with my friend Tracy (and running partner for today) before going to Bloomington to watch the EIU Panthers play the ISU Redbirds in football.

EIU WINS!!!











Sack that guy!!!

After jumping around all night, screaming, yelling and clapping I thought for sure I'd ruined myself for my first ever 5K run the next morning. But, we got to bed "early" (10:30ish) and got up at 6:30am to get ready and get to the race so Tracy could get registered. Plenty of time. We walked to and from the car a couple of times, I did some stretching and before I knew it, we were off!

The course starts at Nelson Park in Decatur and stretches along Lake Decatur. To start, you head up a gradual hill (past my old apartment), zig-zags around a few streets at the top of Lake Shore Dr. and then back down Lake Shore to the starting line. It was a beautiful morning and definitely not hot, in fact, a bit cool at 8am, but pretty humid. As I was running, it was hard to get my breath, but I tried to keep my gasps for air as regular as possible. After a while I felt like I sounded like I was on a freakin' respirator.

I only walked a few steps during the entire race when we came upon our water stop. I'm coordinated, but not THAT coordinated. It felt good to drink something since my mouth was getting dry from gasping for air most of the time and it felt good to slow down, even if it was only for a minute or so.

During the last half mile, I really felt like I couldn't go on, but somehow I did. Fortunately, Tracy and a friend of hers were just a few steps ahead and my friend Adam H. from college had caught up to me. Although I barely spoke during the race, it was nice to at least have people by your side, keeping you honest and motivated. When we finished, Adam was right next to me, but for fun, I found a few ounces of energy and kicked it up through the chute. Since I'm not a "serious" runner I wasn't wearing a watch and I really didn't pay attention to the clock except for the minutes...33. So, I'll have to wait until the results are posted on the website to find out my exact time.

We grabbed some water, hit the bathroom, and then started up the hill to the pavilion where food and Powerade were waiting. The Powerade and a banana hit the spot before I felt like I wanted to eat a sandwich. We didn't stick around long enough for the awards, but received our medals and took off.

Overall, it was a good experience. I would do it again, but not soon! When I do, I will be a lot more serious about running outside and sticking to a training program more religiously. Until then...I rewarded myself with a Frisco Melt from Steak 'n Shake on my way home from Decatur and I will be taking a nap shortly.

Thanks for reading and thanks to my partners today!!!

T-minus 2 days

The race is on Sunday and I'm starting...wait, continuing, to be excited/nervous. I really haven't run since last Friday, but I've been at the rec center every day since on the bike. I've "ridden" every night anywhere between 35-60 minutes. I plan on running tomorrow or Saturday morning so I took it easy tonight and only did 30 minutes and did some work on the "guns." I think I'm back to my high school "buff arms" that I had after doing numerous push-ups in marching band.

But, that's neither here nor there...although I haven't followed the plans I had to a T, I do feel like I will successfully complete this race on Sunday. I probably won't come in first, and I guarantee that if I'm last I will trip the person in front of me just before the finish line. Just kidding...sort of. But I will sprint past them and most likely collapse at the end to avoid being last if I have to.

So I probably won't blog much between now and then, but I'll have a whole recap after Sunday!!! Wish me luck!!!

Next project: Staying the workout course before next weekend's high school reunion.

T-minus 8 days

For Matt...

8 days until the race

Tonight I went to the Rec but was quickly distracted in the parking lot by the marching band rehearsal. Anyone that knows me knows I'm a total band nerd and don't care. I love it. Anyway, I watched for a while, and then decided a half hour was enough. I'll see the show tomorrow night at the EIU home opener.

So, on to the Rec. I spent 32 minutes on the bike and did some leg exercises and a bunch of crunches. I have a feeling my ass (muscles) will be sore tomorrow...literally.

According to plan I'm supposed to be running 3.5 miles the Saturday/Sunday the week before the race. However, I'm going to take another day off of running in order to further rest the shins. It's not as though I'm in excruciating pain or anything, but it's annoying that I start to feel it the minute my foot hits the pavement/treadmill.

Besides that, EIU's 1st home football game is tomorrow night! Go Panthers!!!

T-minus 9 days

9 days until the race...

I ran a little under 30 minutes tonight. I took a couple of walking breaks though because, again, my shins were bothering me. I tried a couple of stretches I saw here, but it still didn't keep my shins from hurting whenever I thudded my feet down on the treadmill. Maybe if I ran faster, I wouldn't feel like I was stomping along and rather gliding....ah, sounds lovely, but realistically I'm afraid I won't be able to sustain a faster speed (usually I've set the treadmill to about 5.4-5.5) and will get burnt out. Besides, from what I read about shin pain it's from doing too much too soon. The last thing I want to do is expedite that.

Suggestions are welcome for exercises, stretches, whatever for shin stress. Write me at amormino@gmail.com or, since these updates show up there, Facebook me. Thanks!

Days 15 & 16

Although my shins were burning and I took a short walking break, I finished 2.5 miles last night!!!

Tonight I did 30 minutes on the elliptical machine. Tomorrow another 20 on the treadmill!

Day 14

Well...I was supposed to run 2.5 miles today. But, I "played" some softball after work and then went for pizza buffet. My stomach had been feeling weird all afternoon and it's possible the pizza/pasta/salad buffet didn't do much to help. So, I skipped. I know, I'm a loser. But, when you don't feel good, you don't feel good. I feel much better now of course, but I'm sleepy.

I've entertained thoughts of getting up early, getting the run in and then doubling up on the 20 minutes of cross-training in the evening, but I think I'll settle for the running in the evening after my classes and some reading.

Whew. It's only getting busier.

Days 12 & 13

Day 12: I traded my Sunday "rest" day for Saturday this week. Not to say I didn't do my fair share of walking to and from my parking spot at the EIU vs. Illinois game, but I sure didn't work out. However...

Day 13: My friend Lori and I (who graciously allowed me to stay at her apartment after Alicia's going-away party in Decatur), went for an approximately 6 mile walk this morning. Whew! I know I did more than the 20 minutes of work I was supposed to do yesterday but since we were walking it didn't seem that bad.

Day 14 (tomorrow): 2.5 miles...wish me luck!

Day 11

20 minutes on the treadmill...2.25 miles total (with walking warm-up and cool down)

Check!

10 Days Down, 25 to Go

10 days down...this week: Cross-trained Tuesday, ran for 15 minutes yesterday and did the elliptical again today. I'm supposed to run 20 minutes tomorrow but I need to be sure to stretch out better than I did Wednesday. Toward the end, my shins and calves were burning.

Other than that, I'm also working on my abs and doing some toning lifting for my arms and legs.

Watch out high school reunion!