In the spring, when I first committed to running a 5K, the thought of actually running the entire course with no breaks to walk, seemed like a unattainable goal. I had set in my mind a course of action to just take it slow and see what happened. I promised myself that I wouldn't get upset if I wasn't able to run the entire course by the time the race got here.
Yesterday, I am proud to say, that unattainable goal has been reached! I was able to run the entire 3.1 mile course on only my 2nd try. I had been running a mile, then increased that to 1.5 miles. Yesterday, as I was running, I knew it was the day that I was going to run the entire 5k. It had rained earlier in the day and when I set out on the road, it was overcast and about 84 degrees. The little reprieve from the 95 degree days we have had, really helped my endurance. We ran around my neighborhood which has many more shade trees than in town, even though there are more dogs that chase you!
I have also been altering my diet to see how it affects my running. I had a terrible time when I first started with side cramps. My doctor informed me that my sodium levels were very low and that I needed to increase my salt intake. I began drinking a small Gatorade 20-30 minutes before I run. I haven't had a side cramp since. I am also taking a multi-vitamin and a ginseng supplement. I have also added South Beach Living's energy pack to my diet about 30 minutes prior to running. Its a small pack of nuts and soy clusters that is designed to give you more energy. I have to say, its made all the difference in the world.
I don't want to say what my time was, because its embarrassing. I will say this, it was under 45 minutes. I really want to increase my pace because I don't want to be the last person to finish, but for now, I am happy with the fact that I know I can just FINISH!
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