Chug-along-chica!

Ow! It is absolutely ridiculous to be this sore from a race as short as a 5K. I can hardly walk. I stumbled out the door like a drunk and chug-a-lugged through 1.1 mile at 11:49 pace. The first quarter was at 15:00 pace! My hamstrings are the main culprits.

PM  Ahhhh.  So much better.  I really wonder if running barefoot uses different muscles or something because I was able to run barefoot without much discomfort at a more or less normal pace.  2 miles barefoot at 9:47 pace on average. 

2 miles in crocs at 10:09 pace on ave. A little ouchy, but felt better as I went along.

Yesterday I returned the shoes I got last Monday and I ordered some Vibram Five Fingers from Steve Hooper. This is the color and model I am getting:

They are basically shoes for people who want to run barefoot. More like socks, really...but the sole is tough enough to provide protection against glass and stickers. Only 4.4 oz each! I'm really looking forward to trying them out. Can't wait until they get here.

PM 2 miles on the treadmill, around 9:40 pace.  Felt just a little tight  in the hamstrings at first.  All systems are 'go' for tomorrow.

2 miles at the track with my whole family.  Somewhere around 11:00 pace.  1 of the miles barefoot.  The track doesn't feel especially good on bare feet.

3 miles outside in crocs at 9:58 pace.
 

5 on the treadmill in 49:40.

OK people. I need a little help. I am having a little bit of waffling in terms of what my primary goal for running is right now. It used to be that any time I was having a hard time getting out the door for my run, I would just think about how good it would feel to bring down my high school record. Now that it is out of the way (hooray!), I have been waffling between 3 running goals:

1.) 22:XX for a 5K

2.) sub 50:00 for a 10K, or

3.) 1:50:XX for a half

The significance of the 22 min. 5K to me is that that is where I've always started thinking of a chica as darn fast. It would be nice to be able to think of myself as fast.

The 10K time is significant because it is the dividing line between the boltushkas (meaning talkative woman who runs mainly for social reasons) and the non-boltushkas. Now I KNOW that it is actually a really good description of what kind of runner I am (vomit!), and Sasha has said that it is not a derogatory term, but I still just can't help feeling like I am being called the Russian 'B' word! I would LOVE to ditch the title. On the downside, I have never run a 10K and I am a little afraid of the distance. It's long enough to be aggravating, but not long enough to inspire awe from non-runners (haha).

The half time is significant because a certain red-headed running guru has commanded (advised) me not to run a full marathon until I can do a 1:50:00 half. According to Pachev prognostication, I should be able to do it by the end of July, providing I have solid training until then. So there will be no marathon for me until I can accomplish this.

So there it is. What do you guys think I should focus on? Vote!

5 miles outside this evening.  3.8 shod (crocked & socked) followed immediately by 1.2 barefooted.  God's shoes!  48:10 (9:38 pace).

*Whew*  I got really hot and tired on this run.   I left too late--around 8:30.  It got pretty hot.  (Hot enough to start seeing stars by the time I was done!)  I had a pretty good mild bonk today because I ran 5 miles right before going to bed last night, then 10 more miles 1st thing this morning, and the only calories I took in between the 2 runs were from a little bit of gatorade and some cheddar bunnies.   I took off my shoes for the last mile.  My body kept sending me hungry, hot, and tired signals, and I had to smile and think 'you gotta start storing more glycogen, baby!'  9:50 pace on average.