5 PM is Not 5 AM

on August 28, 2009

When I woke up naturally this morning, I immediately knew something was wrong. Did I sleep through my alarm? Is it the middle of the night? And then my phone rang — it was Megan asking where I was.

Oops – I set my alarm for 5 PM, not 5 AM, and thus missed my weekly run with Megan. So disappointed!

I decided to try and make the most of my late morning and went on a run by myself. I ate 1/2 a piece of toast and Barney Butter before I left.

Normally, I have a whole slice of toast, but I was running so late that I needed to minimize digestion time.

I wore my new Team in Training shirt, which was very motivating.

I set out with the goal to run 5.0 miles in 45 minutes. At first, I thought this was entirely reasonable. I’ve run a 23:46 5K and a 52:58 10K, so it’s not like it’s impossible for me to pace sub 9:00-miles.

However, I have a really, really hard time averaging less than 10:00-miles on training runs. Races are no problem. But on a regular run, by myself and in my familiar neighborhood, my pace turns to molasses.

I also need to remember something very important — I am still fresh off my running hiatus (which I took from April to June due to injury). It took years to build up to my prior speeds, and I’m not going to gain it all back in a few months (especially when I’m fighting for distance at the same time).

The only race is against yourself. It is not against your friends. Or bloggers. 🙂 It is not against your prior races. It is not even against the clock. If you’re giving it your all on any particular day, then you’re winning the race today.

I didn’t make it in 45, but I did hit 47!

Duration: 47 minutes (exactly!)
Distance: 5.0 miles
Attitude: Fabulous!

Came home and made cereal for a quick and easy breakfast of cereal, a banana, and organic OJ.

Oh cereal, you are so simple, but I love you nevertheless.

TGIF!

{ 37 comments }

Erica August 28, 2009, 5:16 am
whoops..I've totally done that before (set the alarm to pm instead of am). Glad you still got a good run in. Love the new team in training shirt!!! Hope the rest of your day goes well
inmytummy August 28, 2009, 5:23 am
Have you seen that Seinfeld episode with the marathoner? Totally reminded me of that!
Meganerd August 28, 2009, 5:28 am
We missed you this morning, but great job on your speedy 5 miles! We only did 4.75 because we were crunched for time! We paced 9:22 though! 😀

Do I need to call you earlier next week? LOL.

Love ya!
Lori August 28, 2009, 5:33 am
I was just commenting myself yesterday that I run so much faster on race days than I do at home. I think it is the mentality of actually going out and enjoying the run, and there is not the adrenaline shot that you get on race day.

There isn't anything wrong with 10 minute mile – it's the run itself that counts, not the time!

I think you run pretty fast anyway 🙂
Jess August 28, 2009, 5:35 am
You shouldn't worry too much about what your pace is on training runs anyway especially you're long runs. Those are supposed to be done at conversation pace. Just remember,that you're out there doing it which is what is important.
Sarah (Running To Slow Things Down) August 28, 2009, 5:35 am
I hate when I set my alarm to the wrong time! At least you were still able to fit in a good run! 😀

And I'm in love with cereal too. 😀

HAPPY Friday! 🙂
Caitlin at Healthy Tipping Point August 28, 2009, 5:36 am
lori – thanks 🙂

jess – hehe i agree but a 5.0 miler is NOT a long run!! must… get… speedier.
Lauren August 28, 2009, 5:42 am
Worst feeling when you realize that you've overslept. Oh well, you probably needed the rest more, so it was good that you got a couple extra minutes.

What a great run girl!!!! 5 miles in 47 min rocks, and you have every reason to smile today.

Have a wonderful Friday!
RhodeyGirl August 28, 2009, 5:47 am
OMG! IT'S FRIDAY! I WOULDN'T HAVE EVEN KNOWN OR REMEMBERED WITHOUT YOUR "TGIF" YAYYYYYY
leslie August 28, 2009, 5:51 am
i love, love, love your attitude. getting out there is what matters – you have a long road of training ahead and plenty of time to work on speed. definitely give yourself credit for coming back so strongly from your injury!
seesaraheat August 28, 2009, 5:55 am
You did great and you are so right, we're racing against no one but ourselves. Love the shirt! Happy Friday 🙂
Meghann August 28, 2009, 6:01 am
Next time we run together we can both wear out TnT shirts and be running twins!
MelissaNibbles August 28, 2009, 6:02 am
Sometimes it's hard not to compare myself to other bloggers. I need to remind myself that I'm doing the best the I can do for myself and that's all that matters. Thanks for the reminder 🙂
Lizzy August 28, 2009, 6:06 am
47 minutes is AWESOME GIRL!!!!! good job

TGIF!!! 🙂
Matt August 28, 2009, 6:06 am
Maybe you should try adding in speedwork and tempo runs? That is really the only way to improve.
brandi August 28, 2009, 6:10 am
I hate when I do that with my alarm!

Glad you still got a run in and great job on the time! You're right – the race is only with yourself, and I have the same thing with speed on just running my same routes all the time. Totally different than a race.
Megan @ megzz wins at life August 28, 2009, 6:38 am
My biggest fear is that I am going to set the wrong time on my alarm and be late for work… You have such a good attitude about running Cailtin.. Sometimes I find myself getting so frustrated but then I read blogs like yours and it reminds myself we are all different, our bodies are all different and we run more than most people do every single day.
Susan August 28, 2009, 6:43 am
Ah I hate when I set my alarm for PM instead of AM! I used to have nightmares that I slept through my organic chemistry tests in college…haha.

Don't forget about "morning legs" when you hop out of bed and hit the roads! I can't hit my pace at first…legs need some time to wake up!
Anna August 28, 2009, 6:43 am
Oh no! I've done that before too. Nothing is worse than waking up really confused about the time.
Heather August 28, 2009, 6:50 am
I slept a little late this morning too – except I have no excuses – two alarms were going off!

I love wearing new clothes to work out in – it is very motivating!
NYgirl@heart August 28, 2009, 7:05 am
Hey girl. I wrote about this a few months back while I was training for my 15K. My times running alone sucked. I couldn't figure it out. But when you're adding distance to your runs, everything changes. Your body naturally tells you to slow down. And no matter how much you train for this race, you will run it at the speed your body tells you to. And you'll finish with a great time and you'll be super proud of yourself. Keep it up girl!
PS–inmytummy and the Seinfeld episode–Right on!!
Runeatrepeat August 28, 2009, 7:07 am
That was a great run! Good job 🙂
Rosey Rebecca August 28, 2009, 7:09 am
I've done that with my alarm before. I've been late to work a few times because of it!

Great job on your run!
Susan August 28, 2009, 7:14 am
Honestly, I have to remind myself that I'm only racing against me on almost every run. And you know what? Personal bests feel a lot better than beating another person 😉

Great run!!
Elsa August 28, 2009, 7:25 am
Still a great run!
But I know what you mean, training runs are always slower than my actual race times. Sometimes it is a bit frustrating but at the same time when I do PR a race it makes me feel invincible!
Have great Friday!
courtney W. August 28, 2009, 7:56 am
What a bummer to miss your run with Megan! those blasted alarms!
Shannon August 28, 2009, 8:03 am
I've done that before…setting my alarm for pm instead of am. Completely throws me off! But you still got in a run…good for you.
Lainie August 28, 2009, 8:03 am
47 minutes is a ROCKIN' time, girl! Good for you!

And I love cereal too. So simple, so delicious. So perfect.
Carolina John August 28, 2009, 8:06 am
I screwed up the am/pm thing this week too! have a great weekend Caitlin.
Bec August 28, 2009, 8:11 am
I hate when I mess up on setting my alarm! At least you still got your run in
Melissa August 28, 2009, 8:24 am
I did that with my alarm too this morning!! I set it and then accidentally clicked the "off" button on my phone… oops! I'm glad you still got your run in.. good job on the time!
Jenna August 28, 2009, 8:28 am
oh the lovely alarm clocks!
i am always worried that it will never go off and i always double triple check it to make sure i set it at the right time!

jenna
Beth August 28, 2009, 8:53 am
I think you are doing awesome – definately don't worry so much about your pace on training runs. I am so much faster on race days too.
platipus329 August 28, 2009, 9:14 am
Ahh that's a bummer. I've seen clocks that let you preset each day of the week individual. that always seemed pretty fancy and awesome to me, but I almost always want mine for 7 so I don't change it enough for it to be a problem
Nicole August 28, 2009, 9:54 am
Honestly, I know exactly how it feels to want to get back on the running wagon again with the same endurance/speed after taking a hiatus! The second day after I moved to Germany, I slipped on some ice and sprained my ankle! As if it wasn't hard enough moving to another country and getting settled, I now was on crutches for a couple of weeks. It was black and blue and painful! It took months (literally) to even get up to 3 miles without my ankle hurting. It was 6 months after my sprain that I started seeing 5K race pace numbers that I had before the sprain. Keep being as patient as you are being! It will come!!
Jenny August 28, 2009, 1:09 pm
oh god i do that alarm clock thing all.the.time… needless to say i have gotten chewed out my many professors at school.. woops 🙂
jillwillrun August 29, 2009, 7:23 pm
Just remember that, unless you are doing specific speedwork, your training runs should be run 1:30 to 2:00 slower per mile than your goal race pace. This is especially important for endurance events so you keep training your body to burn fat stores for fuel as opposed to just ripping through your glycogen stores immediately!

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