January 24, 2013

Last minute Virtual 5K stuff...

Tomorrow is the big day! I'm so excited that so many people (895 and counting) are going to be running "with" me on my birthday :) I'm not too excited about waking up a 31-year old instead of a 30-year old, but I've been trying to enjoy my birthdays despite the fact that I'm getting older, so I'm making the most of it!

This morning, I just wasn't feeling like running outside. It wasn't as cold as it was the past couple of days (about 14 degrees today), but I wanted to run fast, and the ground was covered in snow, so I opted for the treadmill again. This time, I turned Breaking Bad on Netflix, and I finally found the right show to keep me coming back for more!

I set the speed at 7.3 mph and the incline on 1%, and just left it there for 4 miles. After about a mile, I really started questioning whether that was too fast, because it was feeling pretty hard. But I knew that I could stick it out, so I kept going. I was very happy with my pace when I was done, but I don't know how that would translate outdoors, so I tried not to get too happy with it. It will be interesting to see my pace outside after my last few treadmill runs.
I went to Weight Watchers for my weigh-in and meeting. This time it was my leader who weighed me in. I actually lost a pound, even though my "real" weight is 1.5 up from last week; usually I drink a LOT of water before going to WW, but today I didn't have time, so that's why my weight was down.

My leader acknowledged that I was in maintenance, and then said, "Don't go losing too much now!" I was very glad that she acknowledged that I'm at/under goal, and I'm not trying to lose any more. (Maybe she read my blog yesterday? hahaha)

The meeting was really good today--she had us form three groups, which usually causes all kinds of social anxiety in me, but since we didn't have to choose our groups (she divided us by sections of the room), I felt better about it. We had to come up with a dinner that was less than 10 PointsPlus, contained at least 3 Power Foods, and one vegetable. Our group came up with one pretty quickly, so we spent the rest of the time chatting about different food finds and stuff.

One woman said that she adores white sweet potatoes, which I've never tried. She said they're extremely sweet, and don't need anything on them. I'm going to look for those next time I'm at the store, because they sounded good. Anyway, I'm starting to feel more comfortable at the meetings, and I've actually talked a little at the last two ;)


Now, on to the good stuff--tomorrows 5K! Here is some last minute info:

*If you haven't already, you can print off a race bib.

*Please feel free to take a picture of yourself post-race and post it to my Facebook page or tweet me (My handle is @runsforcookies and you can use hashtag #RfCVirtual5K for any race-related tweets). I was hoping to post photos to my blog, but with nearly 1,000 people signed up, I'm going to have to do it this way instead. If you post an Instagram photo, you can use the same hashtag (I'm RunsforCookies on Instagram as well).

*If you post a picture, feel free to write a sentence or two describing your race, or how you felt, or what the temperature was when you ran, or WHATEVER you'd like to share. I may be taking some of them and posting them on the blog. If you post a race report on your own blog, please e-mail me the link--I'd love to share it!

*Run or walk 3.1 miles (5K), and log your time.

*IMPORTANT: Fill out this "finishers" form before 8:00 AM EST on Sunday, Jan. 27th. I will post the results on Sunday night. I wanted to e-mail this to everyone, but with so many people signed up, my e-mail won't let me mass mail it like that. So you'll have to click the link from here. (ETA: The link to the form is now closed--results will be posted 1/27 at 9:00 pm)

*IMPORTANT: If you completed your 5K and you are interested in entering the prizes drawing, please fill out this form no later than 8:00 AM EST on Sunday, Jan. 27th. If you would like to see the prizes again, you can see them on this post. Take note of what you are interested in winning, because I'm doing separate drawings for each prize. If you completed your 5K, you get 10 entries to divide up however you'd like--put them all in one pool, put them in 10 different pools, or 7 in one and 3 in another, etc. As long as the number of entries adds up to 10, you're good to go. (ETA: This link to the form is now closed, since I drew the prize winners on 1/27. Winners will be posted 1/27 at 9:00 pm)

I really hope everyone has fun with this! I'm meeting my mom bright and early at 6:00 to run on the treadmills at the rec center. Then it's a celebratory/birthday lunch at La Pita!
Eli saw Jerry's drawing for the bib/t-shirts, and he made one for me also. If he'd have done it sooner, I would have used this one! So cute :)

35 comments:

  1. I of course had difficulties printing it at the library. I'll take a picture with what I wound up with. I'm sure you'll laugh. I am a technological dummy. It must be my generation! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm soooo sad I can't do the 5k after all! My husband had unexpected surgery today, and so no one to stay with the kids. Boo!

    ReplyDelete
  3. How sweet is Eli's picture! Love that he did that. :) I'm very disappointed that I won't be able to run or even walk the virtual 5k. I've done something funky to my back and while it's a little better than it was 2 days ago, I'm still quite laid up.

    Hope you have a wonderful birthday! :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. You a becoming a stellar runner, Katie. You are making me realize I need to stop making excuses and put in the work to become a faster runner. Love your blog!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm excited for the 5K tomorrow! Just printed off my bib. :) Have a fantastic birthday. It must be a cool feeling knowing that almost a thousand people are going to be celebrating with you!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm super excited! I've managed to convince about 20 people to register too, so a wee chunk of your 895 and counting came to you because I was so exited about this and had to spread the word LOL :) We all agree that a virtual 5K is BRILLIANT and eliminated some of the common excuses people have for not participating in an organized race (cost, travel, intimidation, etc). THANK YOU for doing this! I'm so looking forward to it!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love Breaking Bad! So well done. We just finished watching season 4. Happy Birthday!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I ran the virtual 5K this morning! It's already morning here in Switzerland! It wasn't my first 5K that I've ran, but it was my first 5K "race" that I've done! It was cold with light flurries!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Printed my bib this morning! Will be running tonight after work.

    My husband and I are soo addicted to breaking bad, sometimes we'd HAVE to watch episodes back to back because it was so good.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I will be running after work! :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Happy Birthday! I hope you have a really fun day. :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. i will be running today after work and i am AMPED for it!!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Good luck to everyone running! Happy Birthday, Katie!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Happy Birthday! I ran my 5k and entered the drawing. :) I hope you have a great day!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Happy 31st, Katie! I ran my 5k this morning on the treadmill at the health club - I even tried to take a picture of my stats (just BARELY made my goal of less than 27 min. - only 2 seconds to spare - haha) but since I'm technologically challenged and don't have a smart phone, by the time I figured out how to work the camera on my son's phone, the stats were gone.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Just finished!!! 27:21, 1:12 above my goal, but that's okay I am still super happy with my time! Happy birthday!! Tweeted you the photo!!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Happy Birthday! I did it! I did my first 5K this morning thanks to you! It was icy and treacherous but early enough that I could run in the road and no cars. I took pictures and posted to your FB page. Thanks again for organizing this and I hope you have a wonderful birthday today!!

    ReplyDelete
  18. I'm a hiker aspiring to become a trail runner. I've only recently become aware of my running speeds (via the treadmill) and realized how SLOW I walk and run.

    I'm watching The Biggest Loser for the first time and I went back to the first episode while on the treadmill - because having Jillian Michaels yelling at me makes me run more - and I realized she had the new contestants run for 20 seconds at 5mph. Looking down I realized I was "trotting" just under 5mph - oh, shame on me!

    Now that I'm becoming much more aware of running speeds - your 7+mph is awesome!

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Happy Birthday!!
    Thank you for setting up this race and giving me the kick in the butt to exercise again. And I joined WW too.
    Enjoy your day!

    ReplyDelete
  20. The 5K is done and done! Hope you have a fabulous birthday and thanks for the invitation to run (I needed it!)

    ReplyDelete
  21. Happy Birthday!! Just finished the 5K. Thank you for being a great inspiration!

    ReplyDelete
  22. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! I just finished, and met my goal :) You did freaking awesome today!!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Happy birthday!! I hope it's a great day for you :)

    I loved the idea of having a virtual 5K. I was thinking about it all day long and was excited to finally get to the gym and get it done!!!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Finished my 5K on the treadmill at 6:20 this morning. Thank you for inspiring me to get out of my warm bed and run today! Happy birthday!

    ReplyDelete
  25. just finished :-) 00:44:34 slow but i did it :-)

    ReplyDelete
  26. Happy Birthday!
    I entered my form but not for the prizes.
    I am just happy to be a part of the virtual 5k. I walked it...3.7 miles in 84 minutes (just a bit over a 5k) I even had a t-shirt made. I spent the last 5 months not exercising so I am building back up to my normal pace but 84 minutes is better than 0 minutes!!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Oh I forgot to mention it sprinkled a bit but was in the high 70s here is Mesa AZ :)

    ReplyDelete
  28. Happy Birthday, Katie! I hope it was a great one! I loved the bib! It was really cute! Today I walked my 5k on the treadmill at my gym - 57ish minutes. I had hoped to jog (at least) most of it, I had built up to a 2.5:1 ratio of jogging to walking for 5k, and had planned on going balls to the wall today and try the whole thing today. But last week I pull some ab muscles while sneezing, and am not willing to risk any extra jostling (I've had a hernia and have a 2 year old. Those things DON'T mix. lol). So, anyhow, I've postponed my first 5k jog. Someday, I'll randomly post a time to your wall. In the meantime, I'm still (gingerly) exercising.
    I hope 31 is a great year for you. ;-)
    -bridiek23
    -

    ReplyDelete
  29. Hi Katie! Thanks for this idea!! I ran the virtual 5K today and I have not run more than a mile in I don't know how long. Your blog helps me feel like I can overcome my injuries and lose those last 25 pounds I've been trying to lose since-wait-let me check the date... Oh, like forever? I also really love what you've said about not making changes you are not willing to live with. I had a nutritionist tell me to eat 1200-1400 calories and day and then I did not have enough energy to get through my workouts (Oh, poor me and my pre-injury problems!!). Today I ran farther and faster than I would have thought to on my own. Perhaps I will soon be a recovering non-runner. Finally, I've got to say 31 is not too bad- and I've got 6 months of evidence to back that up. Happy Birthday and Happy (Post-Run) Cookies!!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Hi Katie. Happy Birthday! Thank you so much for hosting the virtual 5k. It was SO easy to try since it was anonymous. No fear of failing or looking funny. Did mine in the treadmill. First race ever. At 42 and minus 79 pounds since last January. Thanks so much for the inspiration. I'm on my way to being a runner!

    ReplyDelete
  31. Happy Birthday, Katie! 31 is great! I finished my 5k in 45:10...I did a Zumba class right before, so I was a bit pooped! But, I haven't run since November...so all in all, that's pretty good. Thank you for coordinating this...This is the first time in my life I actually think I really could be a runner! Thanks again and best birthday wishes! Kristi in LA

    ReplyDelete
  32. I just wanted to say that I thought this was a brilliant idea! I really wanted to do it with you and help you celebrate your birthday, but I got the flu. I was also hoping to be your entry from furthest away (I'm in Brussels, Belgium). Maybe next time =) Anyway, once I shake this stupid virus - I'll run a 5k on my Treadmill (It's cold and I'm a wuss) in your honor. Happy Birthday!

    ReplyDelete
  33. Happy Belated Birthday, Katie!!!! I hope you had a wonderful day. This was such a great idea you had with the virtual 5k! You've motivated and inspired so many people - you'll never know how many lives you've touched. I walked/jogged mine, and it felt awesome! Thanks Katie, and may this year bring you lots of love, happiness and much continued success!

    ReplyDelete
  34. Happy Birthday Katie! I signed up for the 5k but spent the morning at the doctor's office for a back eval and was ordered to get an MRI. Boo hoo. I was sooo looking forward to running the 5k on Friday. My time for the last 5k I ran was 35.40 on Christmas morning. Slower than I wished but it was cooold outside!
    Laura Laz

    ReplyDelete
  35. Ok so my plan was to run a 10k because I had 2 virtual 5k's on my schedule...however at mile 2.8 my rib popped so I walked to the finish of a 5k but then went to the chiropractor, so I have to be honest when I say I only did 1 5k. I just wanted to be sure to let you know that I used 1 5k to count towards 2 virtual runs.

    ReplyDelete

Featured Posts

Blog Archive