Back in training: Update #11

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 11th in a series of updates here…

In this final week before tomorrow’s Phillies 5K, I didn’t do quite as much running as usual, which I had planned. However, I wound up going against my original plan to a degree.

I managed to get in a couple of 1.6-mile runs and a 3.1-mile jaunt during the week and recorded decent times (for me, at least) on all three outings. On Sunday, I completed a 1.6-mile run in 14 min., 32 sec. I ran the same distance on Wednesday and finished in 14 min., 20 sec.

Even though I didn’t plan on running much in the day or two before the race, I decided to get in a 3.1-mile run today. However, I changed my route in order to avoid looping around my neighborhood four times and to give it more of an actual 5K feel. Amazingly, that did the trick…because I wound up completing the run in 27 min., 33 sec. — a new, unofficial personal best in a 5K-distance run.

UPDATE 3/31/12: Apparently, the distance I ran Friday was only 3 miles. I drove the route again and that’s what it came out to…so that explains the quicker time. Hopefully, though, I’ll be able to finish in less than 28 minutes in the Phillies 5K.

I just hope I didn’t kill my legs for tomorrow’s race, which is expected to be run in rainy, windy conditions with temperatures in the mid-40s…awesome. I’ll post an update on how I did after Saturday’s race.

Oh well, better news on the weight-loss front…I lost another couple of pounds so I’ve now dropped 17 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: