Color Me Rad~My First 5K

Just finished my first 5K~Color Me Rad!  It was on a dirt trail through the San Jose fairgrounds.  The color part of the run is you are showered in a different color at stations at 1k intervals.  By the end of the race, you look like you have been chasing rainbows!

This was a great first 5k.  Although there were some serious runners, most individuals were having fun.  There was everyone from a grandfather carrying his granddaughter on his shoulders to little 4 year olds with their parents.

At the beginning, my husband (who is also my running partner) tried to keep a one minute walk, one minute run pace.  I keep track of the mileage with ismoothrun (an app on my phone) and I also use Jeff Galloway's half marathon training program (also an app on my iphone).  We use Jeff Galloway's half marathon training program which has audio cues when to walk and run.  Because of the noise near the beginning and throughout the race, we realized that we could not hear the audio cues.  After running nearly 2 1/2 minutes (and very out of breath), we realized we were missing the cues and my dear hubby kept time with his watch.

We kept a 1 minute walk/1 minute run pace throughout the entire course.  At the beginning of the course, we were passed by a lot of people.  By the end of the course, we were passing the same people who looked like they were dragging!  We finished with the last layer of blue powder being tossed at my sweat soaked shirt.

Doing the 5k early in my training gave me a huge confidence boost!  Three months ago I could not have ran at all.  I ran half of the event and finished without injury.  We did the event with lots of family and friends and although we did not run together, it was fun to share the experience and celebrate at the finishing line.

My time~I am actually proud of my time!  I finished in 38 minutes, 45 seconds!  A new personal best!  Mile 2 was the fastest pace I have done one mile in my runs!  The following is a breakdown of the mileage:

1 mile: 13:12 pace
2 mile: 12:34 pace
3 mile: 13:36 pace

Sore?  Not really.  The next day I was a little stiff but not overly so.  In fact, we did a quick weekend trip to Disneyland.  It was the Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend and got to talk to some great people about their experience and see some bling!  The Disney running medals look great and are HEAVY!

The best part~having my training partner (and husband) supporting me along the way!  It meant the world to me.  The great thing about running with a partner is not feeling alone and cheering each other one when you are tired. 

These feet got to get training for my next adventure~a 10K!

Color Me Rad Preparation

Have you heard of Color Me Rad race?  It's a 5k where you will be drenched in a new powder color every 1k.  By the end of the race, every inch of you looks like a powdered rainbow!  It makes me reminisce about rainbows and unicorns and enchanted lands filled with magic that I dreamed about when I was a little girl.  Well, it probably won't have unicorns or magic but I want to be showered in powered rainbows and I cannot wait!

Today, we went to the pre-event package pick up for the 5k Color Me Rad run.  I had never picked up a running packet before so I was a little unsure what to expect.  Say your name, they compare it to a list, hand you a bib number and send you off to get the rest of the "swag" (see, learning the lingo like a home town white bread girl).  Grey shirt, check.  Pretty nifty sunglasses, check.  Bing, bang, boom, done!

Tomorrow is my first "running" event EVER!  I put quotation marks around running because it is meant to be a fun run.  Timed run?  They don't even own a watch according to the promotional materials.  How long do you need to finish?  Doesn't matter.  Run/walk/jog?  They'll even let you crawl if you want!

I thought it would be perfect for my first 5k.  Even better, two of my sisters, handful of nieces and nephews (ranging in age from 4 to 24) and my daughter are doing it together!  We probably won't stay together since various members walk or run faster than others.  For example, my niece and her boyfriend can RUN (and I mean run at a dizzying pace that would leave me breathless)!  I do a 1 minute walk/1 minute jog rotation.  I am just hoping to finish before the four year old!!

But the best part~my husband is doing it with me, right beside me.  It's our joint goal to have 2012 as the last year we are out of shape.  3 months ago I could not do 5 minutes on the treadmill at a light jog.  I am building strength and stamina and slowly getting there.  This race is just one of the many stepping stones to get to the shore of fitness on the other side of the river.

I'm excited, scared, anxious and looking forward to this adventure.