5k - done!

Today I ran my first ever 5k race and I loved it. It turned out to be a great day, despite some showers before the race started, although the grass parts of the course were a little wet. The run was at Onepoto Reserve here on Auckland's North Shore, an area that is a volcanic crater, so needless to say, there were a few super duper hills! This race was the 4th in the 6 race Run Auckland series, and from speaking to others, it was by far the hardest in terms of hills. One man I met was slower on this course than the others, and he ran this one completely whereas he walked some of the previous ones.

The fact that I ran the entire route (I shouldn't lie, I did slow to a walk for about 3 steps whilst going over some flowing water on the path) was a great accomplishment, considering the climbs on the course - we went up 46 metres in total. When I got to about the last km, with the end in sight, I found that extra reserve of energy and picked up the pace, over taking many people and really opening up my stride for the the home stretch. I couldn't have been more pleased with the result - the official time isn't up yet, but I think it was about 35 minutes! Not too shabby for my first go. Lots of room for improvement!

The next run in the series is on June 19th, and I think I am going to attempt the 10k this time. I met a guy who lives close to me who is doing the whole series, so I'll have a friendly face to see at the next run, and I might even see him out on the roads - he's given me some suggestions for routes to run.

After finishing the run

5k complete!!
21 days till the 10k
121 Days till the half marathon

Today I met with a trainer to go over my program and make some changes. The trainer that I originally met with, Dawn, is off on holiday, so I met with a new girls. I rather liked Dawn, but I looked forward to new ideas from my nest trainer, Amy.

Thankfully Amy was just what I needed. She listen to my complaints of boredom in my current routine, and she added some new, more challenging exercises. Now, instead spending a lot of time on the mat doing simple exercises, I'm up using weights, and even chest pressing a big bar....hopefully soon I'll be strong enough to put some extra weights on! All in all I'm very happy with my new program, and even some sore muscles to tell me it's working.

My running outside has also increased. Although I still do struggle with hills, I'm sussing out some route close to home that don't have really big hills. Today I even ran to the gym and home again. And while attempting to conquer hills, I also had my first experience with the steps in Browns Bay - they cut up the cliff like hill, and are quite painful! They are short steps, 3 sets of them, with about a 3 metre landing in between. By the time I get to the last one I'm using all my momentum to propel me up. Hopefully they will get easier the more I do them.


4 Days till 5k!!
125 Days till the race

New Zealand is an expensive place. I've been thinking about getting some new running shoes for a few weeks now, but the hefty price has always made me reconsider. This weekend I went to the Outlet Mall in the south of the city in hopes of getting a bargain. Thankfully there were plenty of bargains to be had, and I had a few different shoe options to choose from.  I ended up getting a sexy pair of Asics that look great. I got home Saturday afternoon looking forward to putting the shoes to the test with a run. I went pretty easy, so not to overwhelm my poor little feet as they got used to their new home. And, thankfully, there were no issues. My feet were loving the new runners! I'm looking forward to really breaking them in at my first ever 5k race next weekend!

Today is Sunday, and as the gym is closed, it usually translates into no running, thanks to Auckland's stunning weather (I'm not a fan of the rain)! But this morning I awoke to blue skies and sunshine streaking through my bedroom window. I quickly hopped out of bed, got kitted up and headed out the door. While still getting used to the added challenges of running outdoors (mainly big ass hills everywhere) I kept it short again today, which was probably a good thing. When I got home my knee started hurt started hurting. I rested for the rest of the day, and I'm happy that it's getting better, but it's not leaving me confidant for the rest of the week. Hopefully another day of TLC will have my knee feeling great again, allowing me to get in 1 or 2 good runs before the race on Sunday. Worst case scenario is that I'm walking mots of the 5k, but I was really hoping to hit my first race with my best foot forward & moving at a reasonable pace. Still a few days to get back on trace, so fingers crossed!


1 week till 5k!!
128 Days till the race

Today I conquered a new challenge. After a month of running at the gym I felt my fitness was finally up to an acceptable enough level to venture outdoors. It was early evening and the temperature was perfect for a nice run. Unfortunately Auckland is very hilly, so the run was a challenge, especially considering that hills and I don't seem to get along. More practice is definitely needed.

My venture into the outdoors is helped by the discovery of a wonderful website - Map My Run. The site allows me to track my runs, even showing me the elevations. It very useful!


Distance - 3.67km
Time - 25:37mins
Average Speed - 6:58 min/km

10 Days till 5k
132 Days till the race

I got off to the gym early after work today, which gave me more time then usual. Time always seems to be the challenge.

In my head I wanted to do at least 6km, upping my milage in preparation for the 10k I'm going to run in June.Once I got going I got into a groove with this run. A bog old runners groove. I ended up running for a full hour, and did over 8kms. I'm very pleased with myself!

I now officially registered for the 5k next weekend, and after such a stunning run, I'm quite optimistic about it.



Distance - 8.46km
Time - 60mins
Incline - 1.0
Speed - 8.5km/h for the first 55mins, then 9.5km/h for the last 5 mins

11 Days till 5k
133 Days till the race

Another quick session at the gym. I had less than an hour before having to be home to babysit, so I only did a quick run. I felt like I had way more in me, even though I upped the intensity slightly - always a good sign.

Yesterday I also registered for a series of runs - the first one being on July 31st, my birthday. So no hard partying the night before!! I have yet to register for the run at the end of the month, but I really should do that today.

Really putting effort into this running, I've gotten many booked from the library on running, marathons and motivation. Sadly, most of the books are pretty bland, and not really helpful - they cover the basic of training, plans and nutrition, which I already know, without giving anything to relate to or interesting. Thankfully, the latest book that I got - Kara Goucher's Running for Women, has been exactly what I want. Kara is a professional runner from the States and her book is advice thrown in with her story. She talks about how she started out, problems she's encountered, and what training works for her, as well as some fantastic quotes. This book isn't just a list of things to do, it has heart and makes you feel like you're not alone on your quest for running sucess. I'm not done the book yet, but so far I'm seriously impressed!

Speed Intervals
Distance - 2.94
Time - 20
Incline - 1.0
Speed - slow interval at 6.5, fast intervals started with an 11.0, then 3 sets of 10.0-11.0-12.0

15 Days till 5k
137 Days till the race

I decided to take a little break from the gym for a few days - just to make sure I wasn't over doing it, and making myself vulnerable to injury. My month to month gym membership also ran out on Sat, so taking a few days off wasn't costing me anything.

Today was raining. A lot. Weather I'm told to get used to as Auckland enters winter. So my motivation to get out of the house wasn't all that strong. But I got to the gym and thought it was a good day for another 5km run. It's been a little over a week since my first 5k attempt, and since then I have been feeling like my body could do more and run faster. I'm happy to say that I did improve, shaving almost a minute off of my time. I still took a few brief walking breaks, so there is still room for more improvement. With the 5k race I want to do just over 2 weeks away, I think there is enough time to get my time a little more.

5k Run
Time - 34:32
Incline - 1.0
Speed - 8.5 - 9.5 km/h, with a few 11.0 sprints 

17 Days till 5k
139 Days till the race

I had Friday off, and best of intentions turned to a trip across the city to do a bit of shopping. By the time I got back my motivation for going to the gym had pretty much evaporated. But I got dressed, but on my runners, and slowly made my way towards the door. And eventually, I made it to the gym - a major accomplishment in itself.

On the agenda for today was hill intervals - my least favourite of all my runs, and not the best thing to do when I'm already lacking in the motivation department. But I persevered! Because my hills are done at a slower pace, I felt the need to do a steady run after, to feel that thrill of the pace. So after 20 mins doing hills, I pushed myself to 15 minutes.

Not bad for a day with no motivation!



Hill intervals 1m:1m
Time - 20 mins
Incline - 1.0:7.0
Speed - 7.3 km/h
Distance - 2.32

Steady run
Time - 15mins
Incline - 1.0
Speed - 9.5 km/h
Distance - 2.28

143 Days till the race

Today I fit a quick run in before going to a body balance class. The pair of the 2 works rather well - the class helps me stretch out my legs very well - I especially like the quad stretch of the king pigeon pose! The core work in a body balance class also pushes me further then I what I usually go...there is something about a group that makes you push yourself a little harder.

Steady run
Time - 20min
Incline - 1.0
Speed - 9.0 km/h
Distance - 2.93

145 Days till the race

Another Tuesday - where it's a quick trip to the gym in between finishing work, and having to start dinner. Thankfully I got to the gym rather early, so I got a good workout in.

I originally thought that I would do another 5k run tonight - trying to set a routine, and work myself up to longer distance runs - shifting the focus to the distance instead of the time. But I didn't really have time for it, and the treadmills they have at the gym and a bit low-tech, and I'm unable to set a km-goal and still watch my time. And seeing as I was doing intervals tonight, it wasn't really convenient to not have the time to look at. I might have to invest in a stop watch to use for intervals in order to get more distance oriented.

I noticed that my running speed has been increasing, what was my 'fast as I can' speed when I started out a month ago now feels like a crawl. Not only does this translate to an increase in my steady run speed, but I've also upped my fast interval time (as well as my rest interval, although I'm not jogging it yet, I'm on the cusp!).

Tonight's run felt great. The increase in speed made it a bigger cardio-challenge, and my body is still feeling good. I'm definitely getting more into running, as the post-run tenderness in my legs has tapered off, and afterwards I'm just feeling good and worked.


Speed intervals 1m:1m
Time - 25:37
Incline - 1.0
Speed - 6.5:10.5 km/h
Distance - Over 3km, I didn't remember it from the brief summary it gives at the end

147 Days till the race

So I've started today with a renewed enthusiasm. I'm putting Easter behind me and bringing my focus back to the task at hand - increasing my running.

The race at the end of May is a 5k or 10k, and I'm trying to decide whether to stick with the safe option of 5k or to try to push myself to basically double my mileage over the next 4 weeks. To get a good feel for it, I decided to do a 5km run today to see how challenging that was for me. Part of me wants to set the barre high and sign up for 10k. But too much too soon could lead to an injury. I know that I don't have to be able to run the full 10k, that walking some is allowed, but I would love to be able to run the entire race, and I know that I would be able to do that if I ran the 5k.

The 5k was a bit of a challenge - on the machine I can either see my mileage or time, not both at the same time, so seeing the kms creep up slowly was slightly discouraging compared to the ticking by of the minutes and seconds. But not being so focused on the display let my mind wander to other things, mainly how I was feeling throughout the run. With a distance as the goal I didn't feel as rigid in my speed, I went up and down slightly with the music and how I was feeling. I did slow to a walk for a short time, to catch my breath as well as take a drink (my lovely nalgene is crap for drinking out of while moving, unless I want a wet shirt). All in all the 5k went by without any issues, and I definitely got into the groove near the end and was loving it. As I did slow for a bit, I know I have room to progress, so if I do do the 5k it will still be challenging. Just in a different capacity than the 10k.

I'm still not completely settled on just doing 5k, so I'm going to try for longer runs over the next week to see how hard the 10k will be to achieve. Thankfully I the decision isn't rushed, as I can register for the run up to a few days before the event!


5km run
Time - 35:24
Incline - 1.0
Speed - 8.5 to 9.0km/h for most of it

148 Days till the race