But, my 5K time is still slow. 40 minutes slow. And the scale continues to hover in the same place it has since I lost the initial 15 lbs. Now I have gone down one size in jeans, but no major weight loss. Actually the slow 5K time is more frustrating to me than the scale not moving. I know that is hard to believe but the scale is no longer my measure of success (and that is a huge victory for me). I want to run faster!

At my last 5K I started the race feeling strong and about a 1/4 mile in my friend Karyl-Lynne passed me. Then I passed her. And this leapfrogging continued the whole way. The difference was that I ran the whole thing and she did a combination of walking and running. In the end, she finished the race before I did – not by much – but still…

Yesterday we did our normal Saturday morning girls run of 5K and I decided to take a step back and not be so worried about running the whole way. It was time to change things up. If I want to run faster, I have to stretch out my stride, get to the point of really breathing hard, and do something different!

I ran the first 1.5 miles at a much quicker pace than I normally do and then I walked the hill as fast as I could. When I got to the straight away I ran again. This time as fast as I felt I could sustain. Then walked that next hill as fast as I could and ran the last bit.

The result? Change. My time was a little faster and I realized that in some cases I can walk as fast if not faster than I can run. And, I still felt like I got a great work out.

In order to get the scale to move, I am going to have to make some changes, too. I can’t rely on the exercise to make the weight come off. I am going to have to drastically reduce sugar intake and really watch portions.  And I am going to have to cut myself a little slack from time to time, too.

My motivation this week is going to come from Frank Zappa – “Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.“  What are you going to do differently this week?

First things first. My daughter has decided I need a race day tradition. She loves painting nails so she decided I needed something to go with the Twilight theme of this race. She picked out a beautiful deep blue polish and added subtle sparkle and a silver flourish.

Then there are the clothes. I have decided that I prefer to run in a skort more than anything else. I feel the same way about golf these days too. For one, the skort hides so much! You don’t have to worry about shorts creeping up, sweat marks in unflattering places and skorts seem to have a more flattering fit in general. For the race I wore a magenta Adidas wicking top in XXL and my navy Adidas skort in XL. While I don’t think you can buy either one of these pieces anymore they are my favorite and I should probably track down another one of each in a similar style and different color so people don’t begin to think that is all I own.

My goal for this race was to run in it under 40 minutes. I was close – 41 minutes, but I didn’t walk at all. I happen to know that I can actually walk faster up the hills than I can run them and if I had adopted that run/walk strategy my time would certainly have been faster. But honestly, the time is not as important to me as running the whole time is. Don’t ask me why, it’s just part of my long term plan to reclaim ME.

After consulting with a few other runners and a close friend who is a personal trainer, I have decided the only way I am going to get faster is if I start running intervals at least once a week. So run hard for .5 mile then walk .5 mile and repeat 4 times. We’ll see if it works!

We are looking to do our next 5K in September and my goal is to run the whole thing and do it in less than 40 minutes. Do you have any races coming up? How about your fitness goals? Share them below – I’d love to be able to cheer you on, too!

The Moving Comfort Maia sports bra is made for high impact sports like running, tennis, aerobics, and the like. It has a back clasp, wide band, underwire construction, lightly padded cups (perfect for under snug running tops and tanks), and the front is cut high enough that there is no cleavage to be seen! Add to that, it comes in white, beige, light blue and black – nice!!

I bought the size I normally wear in bras – 38DD – and took it home to try it on. IT FIT! Granted, I did have to adjust the straps a bit and I couldn’t just clasp it at the back like I do with my daily bras. That’s ok though – a sports bra should fit snug and this one does! Once the bra was on, I gave it a test run. No bouncing, it was comfortable and it looked good under my clothes, too.

So far I have found the Moving Comfort Maia sports bra in plus sizes at Dick’s Sporting Goods, Zappos, BiggerBras.com, Junonia and the Moving Comfort website. The bra is about $46.00 and comes in a variety of large bust sizes including 38DD, 38E, 40DD, 40E, 42DD and 44DD.

My son had recruited two of his friends and convinced them to give the 5K thing a try. They were game and they all gathered close to the starting line. I didn’t have a running partner today but in the back of the crowd I met up with another runner who logs her training on DailyMile.com like I do and we started the race together.

K and I ran about the first mile together – she is a few years older than I am and was answering questions from other runners about her Vibram FiveFingers KSO shoes – and then my pace kind of slacked off a bit. Normally I train with my fabulous playlist playing through my headphones and it really helps me pace, but for this race they had banned headphone so I had no real good idea of my pace and whether or not it was right.

The course was an out and back with a loop turn around between miles 1 and 2. By the time I started up the hill to the loop just after mile 1 the top group of runners started coming out of the loop. Wow!  Before I entered the loop my son and one of his friends came out of the loop and cheered me on as they passed.

The interesting part about today’s run was that at no point did I even consider walking – it didn’t matter how slow I ran, I was going to run the whole thing. But now the next challenge is to start picking up the pace!

At the finish line I was cheered on by my son, his friends and one of my friends – who jumped up and down cheering for me and then snapped the picture of me at the left. Not the most glamorous photo ever, but I like it. It shows me how far I have come and how far I still have to go all in one captured moment in time.

As for my time, well, it was a little slower than my last one, but considering it was hot, I didn’t have my headphones or my normal running partner, I was happy with it.

What did you accomplish this weekend? What are your goals for the week ahead?

We have been looking at the races coming up in the area and picked one that benefits the local SPCA. My son has recruited a handful of his friends to run it with him and has continuously bugged me to get us registered. Got the registration done which means the countdown is on. Thirteen days and counting to our next race. My only goal for this race is to finish it with a time in the 30′s.

And now for a word of advice… always have a spare set of compression shorts handy! On impulse I decided to take a run yesterday evening. I had about 2 minutes to get ready or the urge to run might just have passed. My only pair of compression shorts were in the washing machine and it was way too hot for capris. I grabbed my golf skort (which has built in compression shorts), threw on a tshirt and my shoes and took off. I wasn’t even out of the driveway when I realized I  had made a big mistake!! Not only had I failed to recognize the importance of running with a sports bra instead of a regular one, but the compression shorts in my golf skort are much shorter than my running compression shorts and I could feel my thighs rubbing together with every step. UGH!

It wasn’t the most comfortable run, but it did accomplish its purpose. I had to let out some frustrations and the road was the best way to go!

As for my training this week, my hip is feeling a lot better and my goal is to run every other day and do 20-30 minutes of the elliptical or kettleworx on the in between days. Nothing fancy, just following my goal of moving everyday.

Have you signed up for a race in the near future? How is your training going?