I did a 5K today! Now that might not seem like breaking news but I haven't run in ages due to a nagging foot injury. My last race was the Shamrock'n Half which was a miserable experience. I tried to run a couple times following that but it wasn't pleasant. So I dedicated myself to the gym and in particular, Turbokick classes. I first tried Turbokick back in January and was tripping over myself trying to master the moves with the music. Not a pretty sight! But I stayed with it. When Round 45 came out I had most of the basic moves and had figured out what my feet were supposed to be doing and became obsessed. I was traveling to clubs far and wide to do this class every day. And what a great workout!
Fast forward to now. I am off work for the summer and now have lots of free time to work out. I began missing running again. Last night I decided to go for a run today and if I am going to run, I might as well run with several hundred people. I found a 5K this morning, showed up, signed up, and off I went. I wasn't really sure how my foot would react so my plan was just to run and see what happened. (I figured I could finish in an hour if I needed to walk the entire thing.) I set my watch to 2 minute running and 1 minute walking intervals and I was off! The crazy thing was when two minutes was up, I felt great and kept running. I settled into doing 5 minute running and 1 minute walking intervals, with walking up the few hills on the course. I ignored my watch and was enjoying being able to run for the first time in about three months. At mile 2 the suspense was killing me and I looked down and saw my time was 26:30! My competitive self began thinking that I could break 40 minutes, so I picked up the pace a bit. I didn't break 40 minutes but was only 3 seconds shy of my best time. Go figure!?!?
Three months off running and spending time in the gym doing other things has dramatically improved my fitness levels and endurance. What do I have to thank for this? Turbokick. So after the race, I got into my car and made it to the 10 am Turbo class. To borrow liberally from the Round 45 playlist....OMG....I am So Happy!
