Another 5K and a couple of things I love

So I ran another 5K last Sunday. It went well. I PRed on an accurate 5K course and ran it 19 flat. My watch had me @ 18:59.6 for elapsed time and 18:57 for moving time, but whatever. It is a 19 and I am going to be happy with it. I mean, a second more or less, same thing. I ran a good race and although I feel like I should be running a much faster 5K based on my training runs, I am not yet able to deliver. I think I don't know how to race 5Ks still. I plan on running many more of them in 2013. They are cheap and they boost my fitness. On Tuesday this week I ran my easy run at the pace (within my easy HR zone) I used to run my easy runs prior to my injury in April. This made me happy. I was also happy when I calculated my age graded 5K time (18:15 if I were 34 or younger). I am going to be using the age graded calculator more and more bc it feels so good:)

During the past week I spent a lot of time reviewing my training log from 2011. That was one of my best years of running. I PRed in the HM with a 1:28 and in the 5K with a 19:26 (from a 20:12, with no specific 5K training). I ran a 5K on January 1st 2011 in 20:26, and by March I was able to run a HM at a pace that was 10-15 seconds faster than that 5K. My 19 minutes 5K right now before starting any HM training is a really good baseline. I am confident that with more experience and tries, rather than more specific 5K training, I will learn how to race a sub 19 5K. I tend to achieve my short term goals easily, so not getting the sub 19 is actually good for me and makes me want it even more; in fact, I think I am easily capable to run an 18:30 and I will.

With Thanksgiving in mind, I want to share some of the things I am enjoying these days, in no particular order.
This book:

This book is AMAZING! I don't think it is for everyone, but if you are into nonfiction, learning the ways of the mind and into getting humbled, read it. I think it has great applications for athletes and I hope someday someone will apply the concepts presented in the book to athletics.

Shoes:

Brooks Pure Connects. Marketed as neutral shoes, they offer a tad of stability and arch support with no added weight. They fit like a glove and make you feel light on your feet.

Homework with my son:
I confess that I dreaded first grade and the American system (at least in the greater Boston area) where parents are required to do homework with kids. That was not what we did when I was growing up. In fact, I don't remember ever having my homework checked by my parents and it served me well. But, I confess that I love homework time. There is something magical about seeing your kid learn, and how quickly that happens. One days they struggle reading a couple of sentences and a week later they are fluent readers. One day they seem to know almost nothing, and the next day they tell you things you had no clue when they learned. I am not saying that homework time always goes smoothly, because it does not. There are times when we are both tired and just not into it. But generally we find a way to move pass that and create positive associations to learning that hopefully he will be able to take with him the rest of his life. Few things in life are more magical than learning.

Speaking of learning, off to learn more about racing a 5K from this speedy lady who ran with me on Sunday and finished some 25 seconds ahead of me:) Rockstar she is!