My Week in Running

Monday:  The weather this week was perfect for running outside so Gretchen and I did a bunch of stroller running this week.  It was much easier with the aired up tires.  Ran 4 miles on the trail with the jogging stroller.

Tuesday:  Ran another 4 miles on the trail with the jogging stroller.

Wednesday:  Didn't do anything.

Thursday:  Ran another 4 miles on the trial with the jogging stroller.  Ran my fastest stroller mile in 8:08 thanks to this muscly younger guy who started out ahead of me.  I was slowly gaining on him till I was pretty close then I  went for it and passed him.  After I passed him I had to keep up the pace, couldn't have him catching up with me.

Friday:  I was by myself in the morning.  I took off from my house and ran 8.38 miles.  I was aiming for 8 but wasn't paying attention and ran a little over.  I was planning on going to YoPi class after but was running (ha ha) late so I didn't try and make it.

Saturday:  Went back out to the trail for another 4 miles with Gretchen.  Near the end of our run there is a sharp turn or sharp for a jogging stroller.  Well I must of been running to fast because as I was turning the whole front wheel popped off.  At first I didn't know what happened other than  the stroller stopped on me.  I realized the front wheel was missing but I had to looked around for a couple of minutes wondering where it went before I found it wedged in between the back two tires.  Luckily it was fine and I popped it right back into place  and we finished our run.

Sunday:  Ran 10 miles on the trail by myself.  Run went smoothly other than my water pack was leaking but whatever.

Weekly total:  34.38 miles

Next week goals:  35-37 miles

My Week in Running

Monday:  Had a long morning.  I have no idea how it took 3 hours to walk the dogs, make Gretchen breakfast then get her ready to go but it did.  Got to the gym later than planned so I just ran 3 miles and was done.

Tuesday:  I have never really tried any kind of running plan or training other than run lots of miles as fast as I feel I can that day.  I followed a plan when I was training for my first marathon but it was mostly just run a lot more miles every week so that when the marathon happens you'll be able to finish.
I've been able to improve my times a lot this year by just doing this.  But I'd like to drop my 5k into sub 22 minute territory.  I thought I'd give this plan I saw in the October issue of Women's Health ago.

It's the 30-20-10 plan.  You run fast for 30 seconds, faster for 20 seconds and fast as you can for 10 seconds then take a 2 minute walk or easy jog break.  Then repeat.  It says you should to this 3 times a week.  I only did it once this week but I'm aiming for twice a week.  It does make the treadmill time go by faster with all the button pressing.  This made for 4 miles.

Wednesday:  Didn't do anything.

Thursday:  Had time to run outside by myself this afternoon.  Wanted to run 12 but I was feeling off or my stomach was feeling off.  Anyway I ran a 5.5 mile loop from my house stopped back at the house for some water.  Went back out for 2.5 more miles.  It started pouring which would of been fine except I didn't wear a hat so the rain was carrying the sweat into my eyes it burned and I was done.

Friday:  Went to the gym and got 3 miles in on the treadmill before I went to YoPi class.

Saturday:  Went to the gym and knocked out 7 boring miles.

Sunday:  Didn't feel like running especially since my only option was with the jogging stroller.  But I got Gretchen and I ready, drove to a gas station with free air to air up stroller tires.  Waited 5 minutes or so and decided the guy was just pretending to air up his tire for fun or he didn't know how so I left and drove to another gas station with free air.  Gretchen was asleep.  I went ahead and aired the tires up.    Gretchen didn't wake up so I decided to go back home and put her in bed.  Here's the thing if Gretchen falls asleep in the car I can put her in her bed and she will sleep for at least an hour or more but If I wake her up that's it.  No more napping for the day which also means no free time.   I like my free time.  I planned to head back out for a run once she woke up but while she was sleeping I realized a had 25 papa points which equals a free pizza from Papa John's.  Point being I never got around to running.

Weekly total: 25 miles, not as much as I wanted but I was feeling a little off all week

Next week goal:  33 miles

My Week In Running

Monday:  Ran 6 miles down BB hwy.  Was tired and my glutes were sore from the strength session the day before so it felt a little tough.

Tuesday:  Did nothing.

Wednesday:  6 miles on the treadmill at the gym.  I had someone to talk to on the treadmill next to me for  the first 3 miles so it made the miles pass pretty fast.

Thursday:  5 miles on the gym treadmill.

Friday:  Day before race so no running.  I went to YoPi class.

Saturday:  Helen Gold run, 10k, went great.  Later that afternoon I mowed the lawn and ran another 3 miles down the street from my house.

Gretchen hydrating and stretching it out after our Sunday run.  That's water in the gatorade bottle if you were wondering.

Sunday:  Needed 4 more miles to hit 30 for the week so Gretchen and I loaded up the jogging stroller and went out to the Blue Trace Trail.  It wore me out, one of the tires was a little flat but I didn't realize this till we were out there and running.  So we just ran anyway I stopped each mile for short rest but did all 4 miles.

Weekly total:  30.2 miles

Goals for this week:  33 miles, no races this week so hope to do a long run maybe 12 miles, we'll see.

Helen Gold Run

Saturday I ran the Helen Gold 10k in Overland Park, Kansas.  The race is put on to raise money for Parkinson's disease research.  My grandmother had Parkinson's and my aunt Betty offered to pay for the run if I wanted to run it.  I am considering this my first sponsored race.  I'm also accepting future sponsorships.  I promise to run my best.

Female 32 to 39

Place  Name             City               Bib No  Age   Overall  Time  

1      KRISTEN DAVOLT   INDEPENDENCE  MO      202   33       13   45:29.5

I placed 3rd female out of 53 and 13th overall out of 95. Above underneath place it says 1 for first in my age group not overall.I'm happy with my results of course 1st or 2nd would be better, they won prizes, but I PRed by 3 minutes so good times. The 2nd place girl beat me by a minute and a half so it wasn't one of those beat me at the very end kind of situations that make me feel like I should of beat her.The race was 2 laps around basically a huge shopping center with mild up and down hills all the way around. The 10k started at 8:00. The 10kers were sent down the street to start. The 5k started in the start/finish area and started 5 minutes after us.
They sounded the horn and we were off. I try not to pay to much attention to who is running ahead of or past me and pay more attention to how I feel and what the the pace says on my watch. I want to make sure I don't have to slow down or walk later. While I don't want to pay to much attention I do pay some attention. One girl was way ahead from the beginning, she ended up winning. Other than that there were 3 girls either ahead of me, beside me, or right behind me the first couple of miles. Right after mile 2 the girl who had been right behind me ran past and she placed 2nd.  The other girls had fallen behind me, no 10k girls past or caught up with me during the rest of the race. Most races are put on to raise money for something but this race seemed to have the largest amount of walkers purely doing the race to support the cause. Could of just been that we had to loop around the walkers on the second loop while other races they are behind you the entire time. While thefirst loop there were just the 10kers the 2nd loop we ran into all the 5k walkers. While this is great that all these people wanted to come out and walk to support the cause I just hadn't experienced trying to run throughhuge groups of people causally walking before. It just made things a little interesting winding around the groups of people who weren't expecting me. 

Apparently while I was off running Betty and Gretchen went for a drive.  I don't know what these two were thinking.  Gretchen said it was all good.

My Week In Running

Monday:  Had a few free hours in the afternoon.  My legs were a little worn from the 13 miles yesterday and it was 90˚+ out but figured I needed to do something and ran 3 flat miles on the streets around my house.  Then I mowed the backyard with a push mower so it counts as a workout.

Tuesday:  Went to the gym and jumped on the treadmill for 4 miles.

Wednesday:  5 miles on the treadmill at the gym.

Thursday:  3 miles on the treadmill at the gym.

Friday:  No running, rest day before the Chilhowee 5k race.

Saturday:  Chilhowee 5k - finished 1st women in 22:36, Success!

Sunday:  4 recovery miles with my sister Courtney then she led me in a 30 minute Nike strength training session.  Made my glutes sore.

Weekly Totals:  Only did 22 miles so we will call this my easy week.  Did get a new 5k PR.

This week goals:  It is already Tuesday night.  I ran 6 miles yesterday and did nothing today.  I have a 10k race on Saturday.  The Helen Gold in Overland Park.  Hope to work in 30 miles total this week.

Chilhowee 5k

This weekend was the big Chilhowee fair.  You've never heard of it?  How strange.  The whole fair was kinda rained out but the Saturday morning 5k race went on.  It was great running weather.  Overcast and a little drizzly to sprinkles.  The race had 36 finishers, 14 of them women.  As I predicted I was able to dominate the race but not with out a significant amount of effort.  My main competition was Mikendra  Young who I've been in races with  before.  She beat me in the last 1/2 mile of a 5k a few months ago so I was worried the same would happen today.  I tend not to have any extra push at the end of races and get beat in the end.  I knew Mikendra was right behind me from the start so I tried not to concentrate on that and focus on keeping my pace steady on my watch.  She caught up with me right after mile 2 but I managed to keep up with her.  I just keep thinking she was going to zoom off at any moment and it was to early to try and run past her so I just kept up then with about 1/2 a mile left she had to slow it down and I was able to maintain till the finish.  Mikendra is super nice so she might of just let me win but I don't think she is that nice.

My sister Courtney and I in our matching shirts showing off our sweaty selfs after the race.  I placed first for the women in 22:36.  I was 4th overall.  A new PR, my new goal is to shave off those 36 seconds.  Courtney pulled it out for a third place overall women in 24:28.

My super fast cousin is super pregnant with twins this year otherwise I would of had even more competition.  She won the race last year.

 The winning guy and me holding our new trophies.