First Race Back!

Happy Monday, everyone!  I am happy to report that my first post-stress fracture/RA diagnosis race is complete and went really well. Those who have read my blog for awhile know that I had to take a loooonnnggggg break from running due my stress fracture and RA diagnosis.  I went from April 16th until January without running which was very hard on me as running is such a big part of who I am.  But after the race this weekend I feel like I can safely say that I am back to running!

Before getting into my short race report, I thought I'd address how I got back into running.  I was pretty quiet about my return to running and only told two people that I was starting to run again because I was afraid that something was going to happen or that my body would not tolerate it.  But luckily it did.  I started off by doing run/walk combos with intervals of 1/4 to 1/2 miles of running at a time.  I gradually increased the amount of time I spent running until I was able to run 3 consecutive miles.  I also did not and still do not run consecutive days as my rheumatologist said I needed to give my joints a day off between running when I did return to running.

While I hadn't ran in a very long time, I was using the elliptical, going to water aerobics, and taking spin classes so I had a base level of cardiovascular fitness which made my return to running 'easier'.  I use the term 'easier' loosely because it certainly did not feel easy at first and was pretty humbling.  But what has been surprising is how fast I got back to a fairly quick tempo of running (~8:45-9 min mile pace).

It was fun to have my first race this past weekend.  I went into it with no goal besides having fun and finishing with a smile on my face.

And here I am, post-race, with a big smile on my face and a time that I am really proud of.

Here is how my splits broke out:
Mile 1 - 8:31
Mile 2 - 8:28
Mile 3 - 8:39
Mile 4 - 8:27
Mile .05 - 7:55 (the course measured a tad bit long)

Overall time = 34:23, average pace = 8:29

I am really surprised to see that my pace was so consistent for the whole race as there were a lot of downhill parts in the first 2 miles and I just kept thinking that I was going to pay for it on the way back but I was magically able to maintain that pace despite the uphill segments during the last 2 miles.  The street where I usually run has rolling hills so I guess my body was prepared for it.

It was a beautiful, sunny day, so the perfect day for me to stage my recovery to running!  I can't find the words to sum up how great it is to be back to running and how much I need this stress outlet right now.  I definitely felt a runners high after the race and feel more confident that I really am back to my favorite sport.

I have to give a special shout-out to my friend Lori who suggested that I register for this race.  I wouldn't have done this race without her recommending it.  It was fun to do a race with her and especially fun to celebrate afterwards with a yummy brunch.

For now I am going to continue running every other day for 3-4 miles at a time and will be slowly increasing my weekend running distance up to 6 miles as I am hoping to run a 10k race on April 12th.  I will see my rheum during the first week of April and am hoping that she gives me the OK to train for a half marathon.  I have my sights set on one in the San Francisco area in September so clearly have a lot of time to prepare and have high hopes that I'll run a strong race.

Are you training for any races in 2014?