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one Man of a Certain Age's journey to a healthier lifestyle

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Welcome to my fitness blog. I started running in early 2012, having set my sights on the Walt Disney World Half Marathon which I ran in January 2013. (You can read about that in my other blog). I intend to update this blog weekly with training progress and run reports. Please follow and join this blog (links below) for updates. If you want to share please feel free to, there are links to share via Facebook or Twitter below as well. You can also follow me on twitter. And please comment letting me know what you think!

My upcoming races: My recent races:
NYCRuns Central Park Half Marathon February 23, 2014 2013 Year in Review
Rock 'n' Roll USA Marathon - DC March 15, 2014  

My Blogs Thompson Family Web (Travel, Disney and fun) The Runner of a Certain Age Blog

Sunday, April 14, 2013

A surprise 5k

First, let me apologize for not posting last week. Quick summary, I did a 10 mile run Saturday (April 6) and I was not real pleased with the results. I felt fine but it was one of those days where I felt like I just never really got into the groove and my resulting time (2:18) suffered as a result.

But enough of that...

This weekend promised to be cool and crisp - perfect weather for a run. My training schedule called for a short four mile run ahead of the Unite Half Marathon at Rutgers which I am running next weekend. As luck would have it, this was also the weekend for the Bedford Hills "Run for the Hills" 5k - an event that has been going on in my town for several years but one that I never participated in (not surprising as I only started running this year). Well, I figured that 5k was not that much less than 4 miles, so why not make this my training run for the weekend? So I signed up.

On the morning of the race I had a leisurely morning. I figured I'd leave the house around 7:30, get a hearty breakfast and get there nice and early for the 9:30 start (I've discovered I like arriving early to races). That didn't happen as little events that morning kept me from leaving and I finally headed up to my room to get ready at a little after 8. Then it hit me. Is the start time 9:30 or 8:30? I panicked. I ran to my computer to look it up. 8:30! Oh no! I ran back to my room, threw on a tech shirt and some shorts and bolted out the door. I even forgot my fitbit, which was charging. I was not at all sure I could make it. If I hit any obstacles along the way I definitely would not make it.

I knew my biggest challenge was going to be finding parking. I decided then and there I would try to park in my chiropractor's office parking lot which was about a block from the starting area at the train station. I made it to Bedford Hills in what was for me, I think, a record time. I pulled into the parking lot and there were plenty of spots. I made my way down to the sign-in and picked up my bib with 5 minutes to spare. Whew! I went to pick up my t-shirt but they were all gone by then. Bummer. I went to the staring area and we were off!

OK, just let me say this. 5k is a very... civilized distance for a race. Nice and easy. I ran into a friend of mine from the neighborhood and we pretty much kept pace with each other. The course - as you might expect from the name - is quite hilly. As I had been training on hills for the Sleepy Hollow Half Marathon which was a few weeks back (run report here) I didn't have too much trouble with the hills. I finished the race in about 34 minutes (I don't have the official time yet) which I was pretty pleased with.

The stats from my iRunner
After I finished I ran into my chiropractor Dr. Stuart Weitzman, who has been giving me a lot of very helpful advice about running (not to mention keeping my back in shape).
Me and Dr. Stu. Note the hat.
It was a very fun race (despite my little scare) and it was nice to be able to do a race as part of my training. I'll definitely keep my eye out for more 5k's.

Next week - the Unite Half Marathon! I am really looking forward to it!


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