Race report, and blog-posting fail!

So, I had a race report to do on Sunday … and I’ve been putting it off.

I didn’t meet my goal, which was to do the race in under 30 minutes. Or at least, in less time than I did the Candy Cane 5K.  But when the race time came, I didn’t try very hard to break the record. Instead, I ran with my friend Alex, whom I haven’t seen in a long time and randomly came to the race when I posted about it on Facebook.  It was totally awesome to see him, and its the first time I ever ran with a partner (and sans music!) and I was happy for the friends and new experiences.

Final time, 35:57. The Turkey Trot 5K, unlike the Candy Cane 5K, was put on by the Maine Running Company and there seemed to be more serious runners there.  There was also a chip timer. And a cool shirt. And I totally didn’t feel totally meek and humbled by all the serious runners there, just happy to be a part of this cool new sport/hobby.

So, my blog-posting fail is that even though I’ve commit to writing a post every time I go for a run, I’ve ran 3 times since the last time I posted.

Monday I went with an easy run during lunch. Tuesday was a long run and it was wonderful. The temperature was around 45, which felt positively STEAMY, and I ran around the Riverwalk in Lewiston/Auburn and enjoyed all the Christmas decorations. It was also an almost-five-mile run, making it my longest run ever.

Then, Wednesday.

Disaster strikes.

I brought my running stuff to run at lunch and as I’m getting ready to go out, I realize that I don’t have my iPhone. My beautiful iPhone with my running apps and music.

I look everywhere and I can’t find it. But I really need to run! So I go out and run without any music at all.

It was a short run, probably about 2 miles, since I didn’t have the app to time how long I was running. It was the first time I ran completely without music or any kind of stimulation to make me forget that I was running, and you know? It wasn’t that bad. 

It was also the first time that I focused on distance rather than time, because I did not have the phone to time my workout.  Running blogs/books/magazines have told me to avoid focusing on distance as a beginner lest I want to injure myself, because focusing on distances usually relates to focusing on speed.  But with 15 weeks under my belt, and working (ever so slowly) up to 20-mile weeks, I think I’m ready to start focusing on distance.  I’ve caught myself running more slowly so I don’t have to back-track over routes if I mis-judge how long a route will take me, and as much as I love running for the sake of running, I want to get better at it too!

So, once I finish this post, I’m off to the gym to pound out a 5-mile run on the treadmill to see how long it will take me. I’m trying to focus on the good side of losing my iPhone, which my incessant whining about it has probably made my husband, family and co-workers want to collectively gag.

Hope you all had a good and relaxing Thanksgiving! If you feel a little fat and slothful, you should try a little run or hike this weekend. There’s no time like the present to start. 🙂

Pattie Reaves

About Pattie Reaves

I'm a new mom and renegade fitness blogger at After the Couch. I live in Brewer with my husband, Tony, our daughter Felicity, and our two pugs, Georgia and Scoop.