New 5K PR - Week Eight

As my training runs have gotten longer, it's gotten much harder to find time for them.  My tempo run this week was supposed to be a 10 miler.  I was planning to do it on Monday.  However, I was working late hours this week and found myself falling into the trap of putting it off because there wasn't enough time for the full run without cutting into my much-needed sleep.  Finally, Wednesday I realized it was never going to get done and just decided to do whatever I could...which turned out not to be much.  I ended up heading home after only three miles.  Better than nothing, though.

Instead of doing speed work, I decided to substitute the Tour de Elvis 5K in Albemarle on Friday.  Don't ask me why there's an Elvis run and cycling event in this little town.  There just is.  That quirky vacuum & running store, again.

Although I didn't feel exactly top-notch during the run (should have skipped yoga and done a few warm-ups), I managed a PR (personal record) of 26:22.  I celebrated my results at a little pizza & craft beer place in town.  I love that place.  I've become somewhat of a beer nerd and their rotating local brews keep things interesting.  I also normally manage to run into at least a couple of people I know there.

Tour de Elvis 5K (Photo by Vac & Dash)

On Saturday, my company had family day at Carowinds (an amusement park).  Although there was no running, there was a lot of walking and even more standing.  The husband and I managed to ride every major roller coaster in the park, including one which you spent the entire ride hanging by a harness.  It kind of made me feel hungover the next day.

On Sunday, I flew to Birmingham, Alabama.  I had training that week in the town of Tuscaloosa.  I was quite surprised to find the town to be quite a nice place.  As an added bonus, the temperature was in the eighties.  I ran my long run of 13 miles mostly on a little greenway near the riverfront (which involved several trips since it was only a 3 mile route).

Riverwalk in Tuscaloosa, AL