My best St. Pat's Dash!

Another St. Pat's Dash, another year we didn't prepare... but I made a new personal record!!! Last year's time was 36:28, and I haven't done any running since last October when we were in Maui.

After the run, we downed two Guinesses each and then headed to Buckleys. Corned beef, Irish car bombs, and Jameson! I never want to drink again. But I really had so much fun!

I'm sure I owe my dash success to the Peloton. This is the best I've felt for a 5k, but my arms were so sore from swinging. The Peloton has also helped me survive the stress of wedding planning. In the beginning, I felt so overwhelmed and frustrated that I would just cry to myself. Doing a spin class helped me completely reset my emotions and my mind. Whew!

Running lucky

We did the St. Pat's Dash again! And as usual, we didn't prepare... but we still made decent time. Last-last year's time was 35:47, and I definitely weighed less in 2015! 

For this run, I did something different. I jogged at a slow and manageable pace, because I knew I was out of shape and didn't want to get hurt. And it paid off! Jogging (instead of sprinting/walking intervals) was much less miserable -- I didn't feel like I was dying the whole time, just on the last hill. HAHA!  

After not working out for a while, but doing plenty of eating during/between vacations, I feel motivated to return to the gym again. Summer is coming soon, and I want to fit my clothes!! 

St. Pat's Dash

I finally did the St. Pat's Dash! And it was pouring rain all morning, and freezing cold. My regular cropped athletic leggings were definitely not enough to keep me warm, especially when we were waiting at the starting line.

After we started running, I warmed up quickly. The rain was pretty annoying all over my face and in my eyes. I guess it didn't matter after the first mile or so anyway, because I was drenched. I was definitely eyeing the runners that had hats on! They were so much more prepared than I was...

Sarah was the fastest jogger, which I expected. She ran solo, and I too ran solo at a slower rate. Sam, Matt, and Sean must have walked more than we did, because they were behind me. I think everyone was a little bit miserable when we first met up, because we only got 3 hours of sleep (actually Sam came after she got off work and didn't sleep!) but by the time we finished the 5k we felt great.

I fell off track with my training schedule for Beat the Bridge, so I wasn't really prepared for this run. However, with the weather and my inadequate gear, I don't think it mattered too much. I was more concerned about securing my footing and dodging puddles than I was about my time. Considering the shape that I was in, I am happy with my pace time!! My Beat the Bridge pace was 12:28 last year, so even though this is a shorter run I think I am showing decent improvement!

We played drinking games and ate junk food at the apartment after to celebrate. And it was TONS of fun. Maybe not the best idea to calorie load after getting a great workout in to start the day.

Hopefully we won't binge eat/drink as much after the next run. HA!

Couch to 8k

Last year I signed up for the F5 St. Pat's Dash 5k and the Beat the Bridge 8k. I ended up deciding not to run the 5k (the morning of...) because it was raining. And I am lazy. I ran the 8k without any training and successfully beat the bridge, but just by less than a minute and was hurting for a few days after.

THIS YEAR WILL BE DIFFERENT!

Sarah and Matt have signed up for the St. Pat's Dash, so I won't be able to bail last minute this year. HAHA. Accountability! And I'm signing up for the timed group, so I've already started training in hopes of not embarrassing myself. Additionally, I want to do well at Beat the Bridge. And even though I'm sure I can beat the bridge, I want to beat last year's time (1:01:56 Time and 12:28 Pace)!

I got fitted for proper running shoes today. Turns out I'm a slight overpronator and the Brooks Defyance 8 shoes were the best/most comfy for me. I'm so glad that I went to seek advice! I also now know that my previous pair of running shoes was too tight. I didn't have the toe space that I have now... and it makes a world of difference.

Here's the game plan for the training:

I'm intentionally easing into running because I don't want to hurt myself. I only just broke in my new shoes today on the treadmill, but I felt great during the run and I was able to jog longer than ever before without stopping. 15 minutes with no break!