One Month Away

So, here it is. One month out from my first 5k. The Mashpee Firefighter's (is that apostrophe in the right place?) Raw Bar Road Race. There are a few of us from work (mostly dispatchers!!) signed up as well as some family members.

The Couch to 5k program is going well, though I believe I over-extended myself this week. At the kennel I had a large order of dog food delivered (about 85 bags) on Thursday which all had to be carried up a flight of stairs. I was able to do 2 large bags or 4 small bags in one trip which meant I did not have to make 85 trips up and down. I angered my left ankle/foot/Achilles a little. Of course, I ignored this and went on with my day/night. No big whoop.

After work at the kennel on Friday, I was determined to jog/run the entire 5k route that I have been following on the program. So, I did my usual warm-up stuff and headed out. Normally I take a left out of my driveway and walk for the first 5 minutes, per the program (which is nice because it's uphill....). This time I took a right, walked for about two minutes, turned around and by the time I got back to the driveway I started running. Point being? To try and jog/run the entire 5k with no walking. From my driveway to a certain major intersection and back is 3.17 miles (measured with my hand held GPS unit). A little more than a true 5k.

We had been getting a lot of rain in the morning, but seemed to be in a break..... Until I was about 1/2 a mile into it. Then it got worse, and then it really started raining. Stupid ass me wore a heavy cotton short-sleeve shirt which became rather heavy and cold. Not a big deal, just not very comfie. I really was hoping it would rain, actually. I wanted to see what it was like to be out in bad weather in case the 5k happened to be held in crappy weather.

About 1/2 way through I started feeling the ankle. A lot. I had to walk. I was slightly pissed off and started running again. Walk. Then jogged/ran the rest of the way home. I usually sprint the last bit which I did, but I paid for it. At work that night it really became sore and I downed some ibuprofen which took the edge off and made my thumb injury (I don't recall how I did that!) feel better.

So, I have a couple days off from the program and will try again on Monday. I'm convinced this is just a minor setback and am not concerned about it. Once in shape, I hope to start extending my distances a bit. I know I'll never do a marathon, but I would like to give the Falmouth Road Race a try next year after doing a few 5k events. I'm not looking to win (as if!), just finish.