Back in training: Update #9

Here is the latest update on my training for the sold-out Phillies’ 2nd annual 5k race on March 31 as part of my current effort to lose a total of 40 pounds. This is the ninth in what will be a series of updates here…

Well, temperatures reached into the 70s in the central New Jersey area this week before falling into the 50s on Thursday. But I managed to complete three 3.2-mile runs during the week.

I finished the first one, on Tuesday, in a new personal best time for 2012: 29 min., 32 sec. I finally came in under the 30-minute mark and with decent room to spare. During the run, I didn’t feel like I really pushed myself. For the most part, I ran at a nice, comfortable pace while pushing it a bit every 1/2 mile or so.

However, I did push it at the end of Tuesday’s run and didn’t like how I felt after that so I decided to take it easy when I went for another 3.2-mile run on Wednesday. As a result, I finished that run in 31 min., 52 sec. A disappointing time, but what was nice about it was that I got in a workout and hardly felt winded at all at the end of the run.

Today’s run was a bit of a letdown. My initial pace felt way too fast so I pulled up a bit. I ran the rest of the first lap at that same consistent pace, but it turned out I slowed up too much and it threw off my pace for the remainder of the run. I turned it on at the end, but I still wound up completing the run in a lackluster 30 min., 22 sec.

However, the fact that the best of my three runs this week was the first one is telling me that I shouldn’t run a day or two before the 5K on March 31. I’ll get in a run 3 or 4 days before the event and just do some workouts the rest of the week. Maybe I’ll do a quick mile two days before the 5K just to keep my legs conditioned.

Meanwhile, I continue to make progress on the weight-loss front as I’ve now dropped an additional two pounds. That means I have now shed 15 of the 40 pounds I want to lose.

Background

You can read my post from Jan. 28 for specifics, but I finished my only real 5K race in 27 min., 54 sec. back in fall 2006. However, I had been running regularly in the months leading up to it (the first time I ever ran like that in my life) and had lost 35 pounds. Now, after putting all the weight back on and being five-plus years older, my goals are to finish the Phillies 5K in less than 30 minutes and lose 40 pounds.

On a personal note, another reason I am doing this is because my wife and I are expecting our first child in early July. I’ll be 41 a few days after my wife gives birth and I want to make sure I’m in shape into my 50s and 60s so I can do things with our kid (or, thinking ahead a bit…kids).

I’ll be posting updates on my progress here once or twice a week.

Here is a table with my run distances* and times during this training period: