I Run 4 Me
Life through the eyes of me, a Filipino, optometry student, runner, foodie, and regular guy named Lawrence
Start Weight: 195 lbs
Current Weight: 158 lbs
Goal Weight: 150 lbs
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Showing posts tagged 5k
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What a day
So today’s plan was to just go to Track Shack and pick up my race packet then get an oil change. Then, more and more plans happened until finally, I did so much more.
Original plan:
- Pick up race packets
- Get oil change
- Go to mall and buy presents for Mother’s Day and birthdays
- Gym
What actually happened:- Pick up race packets
- Go to Sushi Lola and eat some kalbi and ramen
- Go to mall and buy presents for Mother’s Day (forgot about birthdays)
- Go to ikea and look at a bunch of stuff that I didn’t buy
- Eat at Brio Tuscan Grille happy hour
- Go to World of Beer and drink one beer
- Go to Pinkberry and eat a mini yogurt
- Go home and feel like a fatty
Looks like I deviated from the plan a bit. Luckily, since I felt like a fatty, I decided to go on a run in my neighborhood, which made me feel a little better. Ran about 1.5 miles then went to blog. Anyways, nice day with helloorganics drifting from my workout plan. Its all good lol
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What I love about 5Ks
So here’s the deal, I ran a 5K this morning and I’m not gonna lie, it was kinda hard this time. My legs were already shot from playing basketball the day before, so I was really scared that I would not be able to even do it. Turned out that I did fine, but it got me thinking, why do I even do these races?
Here’s why:
- The competitive aspect of it makes me run even better
- The feel of a group of people all going toward the same goal
- The complimentary shirt
- The food at the end
- The atmosphere of positive attitude
- That feeling of finishing with a faster time
- The feel of crossing the line with everyone cheering for you
You see with 5Ks, it’s not all running and tiring yourself out. There is so much more. Normally, I can’t even run this distance when I am running at the gym. But when there are all these people running, I am able to run non-stop and try to better myself. It’s just that mindset that I cannot get if I wasn’t in a race. So if you are thinking about doing a 5K, this is my take on that.
Outcome: 30:12
Best time: 29:22
Not bad considering I had sore legs and ankles from yesterday and was only 50 seconds more than my previous time. If I was 100% today, I think I could have beaten my time. I got to the 1 mile mark at about 8:08 which would be my fastest mile too, so I was on track but its all good. I definitely do NOT recommend running on a bad set of legs.
Tip of the day: Don’t do any exercise the day before the race.
P.S. I wore my Do Life shirt to this race too. Thanks Ben Davis (bendoeslife)
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Look at all the goodies for my 5k on Saturday! Operation Giveback 5k @ UCF tomorrow to support the troops. Glad to be doing a 5k with my bro and future sister-in-law for the troops.
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Its so dumb how I can’t do screenshots on my phone without some long drawn out process, so I went ghetto on you by using the mac camera lol. Anyways, here’s a breakdown of the race today:
Mile 1: Ran through a new bridge that was set up at UCF that wasn’t there when I went there. Made my way through all the slow people that started too far up than they should have. Ran through some tough hills. Got a gatorade at the water station. Got a gatorade almost thrown all over me by a passer by runner.
Mile 2: Ran around the circle again, but the inner one this time. Saw a dude that kept stopping and I was gonna go tell him to keep going, he’s almost there, but he would walk and then start running again before I could make it to him. I passed by a dude with one leg too, which was cool, since the race was about wounded veterans.
Mile 3.1: Long haul. Took a water at the 2 mile mark and it stayed on my side inside my stomach, bouncing along with every step. That was the hardest mile as I tried to breathe away the side pain thing (I forgot what its called). Finally, when I saw the 3 mile mark, I sprinted to the end past the one fully uniformed police officer, lol. Anyways, this was my best race so far, so I’m glad its over.
One milestone down, next: get under 29 min.
On a side note, in other countries, do they call milestones kilometerstones?
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That banana was good
That’s what she said
So anyways, the 5k today was pretty tough. First of all, it was at 8:00 AM this time, so it was pretty hot out. The course was just a run in a straight line and then come back the way you came, so pretty straightforward. I got my fastest time yet, although the course was longer than 5k according to my running app. I stopped the time at 5k so it was exact.
I didn’t start in the front this time, but I still got a better time, so I guess it doesn’t matter where you start. But after the first mile, my shoe untied and I ran the rest of the race with one untied shoe, which people kept reminding me about when passing by. At the end, I was about to pass out from the heat and exhaustion, but my brother told me to eat a banana, so I did. Once I ate that banana, my exhaustion immediately went away for some reason. Like I said, that banana was good.
In the end, it was a very tiresome run, but the view was beautiful. The Tampa bay was alongside us the entire run and it started and ended at the St. Pete Times Forum, which was pretty nice as well. The race was for law enforcement and the US Secret Service. This was also the home of the Tampa Bay Lightning which was also cool to see too.
The St. Pete Times Forum. Never been before and it looked cool. It was like when I went to the Amway Arena for the first time.
The US Secret Service Limo
My time at 3.11 miles. I stopped the time a little late, but still pretty good.
The course.
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Crazy-ness tomorrow
So, I am doing a 5k in the morning (Fighting Hunger 5k) and I am doing a something crazy. The Do Life tour is stopping by Orlando at 10:15 AM and guess what, I’m doing that too! I really wanted to participate in the Do Life tour ever since Ben posted that he was going to do the tour and it happened to coincide with another 5k I was doing that morning at 7:30. I must be crazy attempting two 5k’s back-to-back, but the Do Life 5k is for fun, so I won’t kill myself on that one. Picture it as a 10k split into two different sessions. I think I will be able to do it. My goal is to get under 27 minutes for my 5k in the morning and then a fun run with Ben and the other fitblrs at 10:15. Do you think I can do both 5ks?
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Day of 5ks
So today was the day that I did two 5ks in a row. One was timed, one was for fun. Both had their own perks but I believe the 5k I did for fun was the best one I have ever done. Here’s the breakdown:
Fighting Hunger 5k
This 5k was pretty tough for some reason. My goal was to get under 27 minutes but that didn’t happen. I started out way too fast and for about a mile I was 7 people behind the leader of the pack, but I definitely couldn’t keep that up. I was aiming too high and ended up with a slower time than my last 5k. On my phone (below) it said I did the course in 29:20, but on the official results, my time was 29:31. I could have been faster but I burned myself out so fast. Never again lol.
In the end, we still had a great time with all the free drinks and bananas and oranges, lol. Me and my friend started at different paces and ended up finishing 2 people apart which was kinda cool, but proved that I burned out quick. Next time, I will try to keep a steady pace throughout.
Do Life Tour 5k
Now for the fun stuff. This 5k was so relaxed and there were about 36 people that participated, so it was really fun. This run was different from any other 5k I have done because 1) it was for fun, and 2) I actually had a conversation with the other runners during the race, which I never do. The race consisted of other bloggers and people that follow the Do Life Movement. It was such a great experience because I really got to get to know the people I was running with. In a normal 5k, people usually keep to themselves and their own groups. In those races, you are just a number, but in this 5k, everyone was given their chance to shine and each person finished the race with a round of applause by those who already finished.
The course was pretty nice on the West Orange Trail which is a beautiful bike trail that runs for I believe 12 miles. We commandeered a course of 1.55 miles so that it totaled 3.1 from start to finish. I was able to keep up with Jed and a couple other guys for about 2 miles but I was still kinda burnt out from the first 5k that I had to take a walk break a couple times and ended up finishing right after them. In the end, it was an experience that I am glad to have been a part of.
After the race, we headed to Four Rivers which is an amazing barbecue restaurant. All the runners that decided to eat after were able to speak to each other and share their stories. Ben and Jed were really cool and easy to talk to. I wish them all the best of luck on their tour. Pa was kinda behind-the-scenes but he was a really cool dude as well. Everyone took pics and had a great time and I definitely will go to this tour again if they do it next year.
Me and Ben (I wanted to take pics with Pa and Jed as well but I didn’t for some reason)
I know the race wasn’t timed, but this is just what my phone said. For all you guys that are contemplating on whether or not to do the Do Life tour, please do it. Ben, Jed, and Pa are such great guys and are doing this for you guys. For more information, check the links below:
Ben’s blog: Ben Does Life
Jed’s blog: Life Does Jed
Pa’s blog: Pa Does Life
Anyways, sorry for the long post, but check them out. Cya guys later…
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Goals
So after that Do Life 5k, talking to Ben and the guys got me thinking about signing up for a half-marathon. I am already running a bunch of 5ks, so I might as well do it right?
I was thinking about running the half-marathon that is coming up in October in Ft. Lauderdale while I am in optometry school, but I need to wait on registering because I have to check out my work load for that time period. I don’t want training for the run to interfere with my studies, so I am hoping to be able to balance.
I am really looking forward to completing my first half-marathon.
I want to be one of those people with the 13.1 sticker on their car lol.
I want that finishers medal to add to my accomplishments.
I want to cross that finish line.
People may call me crazy for doing this but I don’t care. That’s why we run. It’s what runners do. Always striving for more and to get better. Runners are misunderstood, but we do it anyways.
