Here Comes Hell...and It's Uphill

Blogging is a hard thing to keep up with. Between the actual running, school work, and my current personal issues, I haven't really felt like blogging, even though I've been running.

Yesterday I did my first tempo run (slow for a mile, faster for a mile, slower, and then faster again). I did it wrong, but I also did it WAY faster than I needed to (one of those was a 10:15 mile!).  It was also my first time running with the Black Girls Run group. I was afraid that the group wouldn't suit my running needs (everyone would be too fast or slow), but the ladies were lovely and so welcoming! I definitely want to keep running with them! It's also great because a lot of them will also be running the Percy Sutton Harlem 5k this Saturday. Because of the race, I had to change around my schedule in a way that's less than optimal. I have a 6 mile long run with Kim on Friday morning, and the race on Saturday! I know you're supposed to take a day to recover after a long run, but that simply wasn't gonna happen this week. Add to that the fact that although this is only a 5k, it's a pretty brutal one. The first 1.5 miles is apparently straight uphill. The goal is to beat my PR for a 5k, which was 33:33, but if I don't, I won't beat myself up too much. Hills are no joke! Wish me luck...the next few days are literally going to be an uphill battle.

P.S.-That's the part that's hard because of the running. Tomorrow, my amazing boyfriend moves to China for 2 years, and I can't stop bursting into tears at the drop of a hat....so yeah, this week is the worst.

I 5K. O.ed that Race!

I ran my first ever 5k on Sunday, with the boyfriend. After having done 3.1 miles with Kim on Friday (in 35:34), I was feeling pretty confident that I could do it faster, and without dying. The good news is that I did...my official final time was 33:33! It felt good to get out there and see what it's like to actually be part of a race. The weather was beautiful and the course was across the Brooklyn Bridge and back, so the view was also amazing. Unfortunately, the Bk bridge has a pretty intense incline that I had never noticed, but on the way back, around the 2 mile mark, people started dropping like flies. The Bf saved me by suggesting that we stop briefly at the water table, which was the 10 second recovery I needed to get over that incline. Having him next to me made the race so much more fun, and much easier. He could've run that 5k much faster, but he stuck with me and provided much needed encouragement and support. He's moving away for a while soon, and I'll miss him terribly, but also I'll miss having him as a sometimes running buddy. I know he'll be supporting me from over there as well, especially since he's started training for a marathon in December. We'll have a running conversation going about our progress:)

Running is Better With Friends!

On Friday, I tried my first run with a buddy! Til now, Kim has been my football/beer and wings/shopping friend/colleague, but I had no idea she was into running. She agreed to do my long runs with me once a week, which I'm sure will make them much less boring! Her particular brand of offbeat humor and hilarious cynicism could help anyway make their way through a torturous long run! Unfortunately, this requires a long trek to the LES, but it's worth it to have an awesome running buddy! We did 3.1 miles in order to prep me for the 5k on Sunday. It was hot and hard and I was extremely thirsty, but the awesome company helped me keep it moving. ProTip: Running is fun, but running with friends is better. Right now, Kim is definitely in the running for the best workout buddy I've ever had (yep, terrible pun, give me a break, I'm a few days behind).