Ran a 5K!

This time last year, I could never imagined that I would be able to run a 5K. But on Thanksgiving morning, bright and early, I woke up and ran 3.2 miles outside without walking. My time was 35:23 and my average mile was 11:24. Not too shabby for a first race. It really wasn't as bad as I expected and I managed to pace myself throughout the race so that I never felt too out of breath or tired.

Here's what I learned that works for me:

1. It was about 40 degrees and a little rainy so I dressed in light layers--good call.

2. I ate 1/2 a bagel with a thin smear of peanut butter about 1.5 hours before the race. That definitely helped give me more energy.

3. I got to the race EARLY. It was a madhouse at the race (4,000 people came out) so I'm glad that I managed to get there at 7:30 (a half an hour before the race).

4. I stood near the back of the pack. That helped because I wasn't with the all the fast runners and I actually managed to pass some people (rather than being passed by everyone).

5. I paced myself. I kept myself to a light, steady jog until the 3 mile mark where I went a little faster to finish the race. It felt good finishing strong.

6. I had the support of my family. My mom and sister woke up early to see me run. It was so nice of them and they were so proud of me.

7. I took a complete rest day the day before the race which helped me a lot.

8. I was already able to run for 35-40 minutes on the treadmill, so I was in pretty good shape.

Overall, it was a great experience and I'd definitely like to run more 5Ks. There's a Jingle Bell 5K in Richmond during the second week of Decemeber, so I might run that. Also, I'm seriously considering training for a 10K in the spring. I think that I can do it--I would just need to seriously train.

The rest of my Thanksgiving holiday was pretty awesome. Thanksgiving dinner was delicious and I ate small portions of nearly everything (except the pies). I felt pretty guilt free about it since I earned some APs in the morning. And then on Saturday morning I went for a jog in my neighborhood (roughly 2.5 miles) and that was fun. I am actually starting to enjoy running. It's relaxing to jog through a quiet neighborhood and just be by myself.

Today, the plan is to adjust to my new points--WW just came out with a totally new plan that seems to emphasize fat, carbohydrates, protein, and fiber. It's kind of a pain to have to rethink all my food choices, but at the same time maybe this will help speed up my WL efforts. I get 29 points with the new plan and 49 WPs. Weird, huh. But I put in my foods that I brought to work today and I was shocked that my yogurt with canned peaches was 6 points (it was 2.5 under the new plan). On the other hand, my hamburger on an English muffin is only 8 points and it was 10 under the old plan. Does WW not want us to eat yogurt now? So strange.

Anyway, I also plan on either going to my Body Pump class or going on a run after work. Happy Monday everyone.