Getting there!

Today, I ran in the Seattle Seahawks 5K at The Landing with Donna Cantera and Cindy Bingham. It was the first time I’ve been able to see how my very sketchy running and strength training has helped me run faster.  

For me to qualify for SunTrust 1/2 Marathon in Washington DC next March, I need to do a timed 5K at or under 31 minutes by December 31, 2011. My last timed run was the Jungle Bell 5K in December 2010. That run I did in 44:05 minutes or 14:05 minute/mile-not even the best of my timed runs.

But today was different. Yes, I haven’t been sticking to my training like I should. Yet,  I felt ready when I woke up this morning. My knees haven’t been bothering me as much. Whether this was from a combination of some strength training and/or acupuncture, I’m not sure. All I know is my knees aren’t hurting as much when I run now.

This morning, my only concern was the rain. The weather reporters has been calling for a rainy Sunday. My wish for it to hold off came true. Besides some misting on the way to The Landing, the skies were just cloudy with some sun breaks. Perfect running weather.

I’m proud to say that with all conditions being so good, my time said it all. I did this 5K in 34:29 minutes or 11:07 minutes/mile-almost 10 minutes better than last time. I was also #2 out of 28 other ladies in the age group of 55-59.

This has given me a huge boost to stay the course along with a reminder that…

“A journey of a thousand miles must begin with the first step.”
                                                                                      -Lao Tzu