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I think I can finally call myself a runner

It has certainly been an interesting week!

A quick overview of this week's bootcamp workouts:

Day 1 - The mile
   Self explanatory.  Details to follow.
Day 2 - House of Pain
   Strength stations with cardio mixed in. The stations are lined up in the shape of a house.
Day 3 - 4 Corners
   4 strength stations (abs, arms, legs, core) followed by sprints and running
Day 4 - Guts and Guns
   cardio mixed in with abs and arms
Day 5 - Wingman
   Very strength focused with running "excursions"

This week started out amazing.  I was pumped to be back for another bootcamp.  One of the instructors, Tom, has taken me under his wing this month to push me well past my comfort zone.  He is planning on kicking my ass all month long. Day one of boot camp is always a PT test.  Everyone in camp runs the mile together.  I wasn't planning on pushing myself; I really didn't have it in me after the weekend.  When I started running, I looked down at my watch and realized I was moving at just above an 8 minute mile pace, so I kept going.  This mile felt easier than the one at the end of the last months session.  I finished with a time of 9:21.  It was about 15 minutes faster, but still not quite on my 9 minute mile pace.  I will definitely be there by the end of this month's session.

For all of the workouts this week, I really pushed myself on both the strength and cardio portions. Tom was there to tell me to go faster and stick with it.  After every workout, there is something called the instructors challenge.  This is when the instructors and any campers that choose to participate run the Charles Allen hill.  For week 1, it was 3 times.  This is a massive hill!  When I first started boot camp, it took me two months before I could run the entire way up.  I knew Tom was going to make me do it, so I did. The first day was miserable, but by the end of the week, after running the hill after the workout 3 times every day, it was not as hard. 

I didn't get to bike this week because I took the bike to the shop for a tuneup.  The gears were not shifting properly and it was very noisy! I went swimming on Tuesday.  I felt much better this time than the last time.  It took me 15 minutes to swim 1000 yds and I wasn't pushing myself.  The thing about being a swimmer as a kid, is that I don't know how to swim without really pushing.  I try to push and my muscles just aren't there yet.

My weekend full of races started with the Dirty Girl mud run on Saturday.  It was an untimed, casual event.  We stayed together as a team for the most part.  I ran with one other girl and then we waited at the start of each obstacle for the rest of the team so we could do them together.

Insane Terrain Team at the finish of the Dirty Girl
Sunday started with Lauren's Run, a 5k for Childhood Cancer.  I was hoping that I would run the whole thing and I was aiming for a faster time than two weeks ago.  I started off the race feeling pretty good.  When I got to mile 1 and I was at a 10 minute mile, I got excited.  As the race continued, I felt better, so I kept pushing.  I have never run so hard in my life!  With all of the issues I have had in the past with my shins and my IT band, I usually run just to get through it.  I'm not able to feel good during a run for long enough to really push it and run fast.

Mile 1 - 10:08
Mile 2 - 10:40
Mile 3 - 9:20
.1 - 1.08

My finishing time - 31:17!!  I am so proud of myself!  I knocked off over 4 minutes from two weeks ago and that was a personal best.  I am officially declaring myself a runner.  Crazy!  I uploaded that data from my GPS: Lauren's Run GPS data, to check out my pace as the race went as well as the elevation and grade.

I am so excited about this 5k.  I really didn't think I had it in me just yet to go that fast.  I averaged a 9:58 minute mile for the race.  Based on this, I think I will have no problem getting to that 9 minute mile in a few weeks.  I should exceed that by a lot.

I have a sprint triathlon coming up next week and I am definitely feeling so much better about the run now, since that was my weakest part in past races.

Goals for the week:
  • Drink water (I have been doing better with this)
  • Push it in bootcamp
  • Kick ass in the TriPathlon
Only those who risk going to far can possibly find out how far one can go.
- T.S. Eliot
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