Today was the first run of 2013 for me. I decided to keeping enjoying the Christmas period into the first week of January and I began my New Year on Sunday by putting together a plan for the year. In 2011 I had a plan and it resulted in me running over 900km. Last year there was no plan and no races and I ran just over 200km. I guess the statement is true, If you fail to plan, you plan to fail...
Yesterday I began my New Year plan with 30 minutes of easy core exercises and today was my first run. It was a cold one out there tonight, about 3ºC and the frost was coming in. I spent a few minutes trying to find a hat but I did't know where I left it so I just laced up my kinvaras and went.
Out in the cold I felt great running for the first 500m or so and felt in a bit of a rhytmn. I knew I was running a bit faster than I should be but i was enjoying the feel of it, I just didn't think I could last 5km at this pace. When I hit the 1km at 4:59 I thought that was nice now slow it down a bit. It's funny, I remember in 2011 when I broke 6:00 for a km for the first time and it felt great and breaking 5:00 seemed like a myth and here I broke 5:00, but having only run twice in the last 56 days and spoadically in 2011 I knew I needed to slow down.
2km 5:04 and I was starting to feel tired but also creeping into my head was the crazy thought of runing 5km in under 25 minutes. 3km 5:03 and I was starting to feel the pain of pushing myself a bit too much, yet I could feel that this was a possiblity. 4km 4:44, maybe I had put too much into that km and I wondered if I had anything left for the final km. I kept telling myself that I could do this but was starting to feel a little lightheaded from pushing too hard. Final km 4:42 and a total of 24:32 for 5km. The fastest 5km I've run since October 2011.
I know I really shouldn't have pushed that hard as I'm only getting back and with my HR maxing out at 203 it was a bit of lunacy but I think I needed it. I needed to know that I could do it and that I could push myself and that I wanted to do it. I needed this to kick start the year and while I feel sore I feel great.
I've a feeling this will be a great year. Wishing everyone else out there a great year too. Happy New Year.
