Update and CPCC Skyline 5k

Hi Ladies! Sorry for the lack of posts lately, things are CRAZY busy for Toni and I right now. She moved her wedding date up for the hundredth time and will be Mrs. Carey in a little over a month! She is also finishing her master’s thesis and will graduate next month. As she is on her way out of grad school, I am just beginning and sent my last grad school application off this week. *Crossing Fingers* On top of the application stress, I have been traveling for work and battling allergies, a sinus infection and strep for the past two weeks. Needless to say in the midst of all of that, I have decided to run the CPCC 5k in two weeks. I am really excited because a bunch of ladies from the Purple Butterfly Running Group are running the race too, and this race marks the one-year anniversary of my racing “career.” My time last year was 25:47. I would love to beat this time, and realistically, that is going to be a challenge. When I ran the race last year, I trained for about 4 or 5 weeks prior to the race and I was running a must faster pace than I am running now. After running the half, I think that my body is conditioned for longer distances at a slower pace. Yesterday’s tempo run kicked my behind! During mile one, my legs were screaming at me. As I trotted into mile 2, I was huffing and puffing, and finally by mile 3 my second wind kicked in and my legs felt strong stronger. Typically I get into the “zone” around mile 3 or 4, so the first couple of miles are my slowest. This won’t work for a 5k, so my focus over the next few weeks is to reprogram my body for speed and short distance. My strategy to get in 5k shape is simple: hills and speed work. I’m also banking on the fact that I have race experience. You know when someone is feeling themselves and they start an explanation with “I got this I’ve been doing this since ? That’s how I feel about this race and 5k’s in general. “I’ve been doing this since ’09.” OK, stop laughing at me, I know that I’m not really experienced, but I know the course and run in that general vicinity quite often. This gives me a small advantage and will help me pace myself.

Also in Black Girls RUN!