Virtual 5k Training Tips and a free playlist - Running Goals Check In

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Like I shared with you all last month, I'm currently working on improving my running pace in a way that is safe and effective for me so I don't flare up old injuries. My current 5K personal record (PR) was 40 minutes, and I really want to cut that down to 30 minutes. A big part of this is going to be eliminating walk breaks (which I still highly recommend for people to try out, especially if you are new to running and/or nursing some old injuries like me; and I'll probably continue to do run/walk/run on longer distances). 
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To give myself a good baseline for how much I needed to shave off my mile specifically and to hold myself accountable, I signed up for the free and virtual Healthy Selfie 5K Your Way that Healthy West Orange is hosting this month. My goal was to complete this 5K in the 35-37 minute range since this would be my first time completing a 5K without taking any walk breaks, and I knew that when I pushed myself, I could do a 40 minute 5K with the intervals. 

I ended up blowing this goal out of the water! My total time was 33:26, something I was not expecting but will totally take. My pace was about 10:42 minutes/mile, which is not my fastest but I slowed it down a little bit to maintain for the 3.1 miles. Now, I'll shift back to taking it one mile at a time. ​

This way, I'll be able to feel comfortable and confident when running straight through at a pace that's closer to a 9:50 mile (something I know I can do, but need to work up to doing that for 3 miles in a row!). I'm looking forward to picking up my medal this weekend (it's a drive-through set up, but it'll be my first opportunity for a #MedalMonday in months, haha)!

To train for this 5K, here's what I did: 

• Signed up early so I could slowly increase my mileage a half mile at a time
• Spent at least a week at a set distance before increasing mileage
• Listened to my body. If I wasn't feeling 2 miles one day, then I wouldn't do it so I wouldn't hurt myself
• Didn't force myself to go my fastest mile. Longer distance means slowing it down a bit so I could make sure I wasn't burning out in the first mile or so. To do this, check in with yourself every half mile or so: "Is this pace maintainable?" 

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I recommend you do the same, and if you're going virtual, here are a few things you can do to make your runs more interesting: 

• Have a good playlist! Music truly helps. 
• If you're on the treadmill and get bored easily, look into treadmill videos on YouTube to simulate running through a destination, or watch a new show on your fave streaming service. This can help the time (and miles!) go by more quickly. 
• You can also try something like the app Zombies, Run! which puts you in the heart of a zombie apocalypse story.
• Remember: just because a race is virtual doesn't mean the miles don't count! A lot of people don't really like virtual races, but they can be great to use as incentives for training towards a goal. It gives you something to look forward to, even if it is just a medal. 

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What I'm listening to

When I haven't been listening to LOONA on my runs, I've been listening to a lot of J-Pop and rock. I'm studying Japanese for a future vacation (once COVID madness is over; if you follow me on Instagram, then you already know that Anthony and I were supposed to honeymoon there back in March but the trip had to be cancelled.

​Listening to Japanese music has really helped me familiarize myself with the sounds as I learn a bit more, even if I don't understand what they're saying. My husband and I have also been catching up on a lot of anime in quarantine, so I thought it would be fun to compile some of my favorite high-energy songs from anime intros and outros to feature in a running playlist (which works great for hitting the weights at the gym, too).

A huge thank you to the following people for sending me a few songs to add so it wasn't just all my faves, but hopefully some general fan-faves as well!

• hrhrosemary (and her daughter!) on WW Connect
• empathmeetsanime on WW Connect
• bliztoise on Instagram
• pzzuto on Instagram

You canlisten to this playlist on Spotify.