2 best friends | 679 miles | one virtual 5k

As I'm recovering from an injury, I'm starting to get burned out on running with no training plan. I haven't had a training plan to follow since I ran my half on November 11th. While I'd planned on stepping back some, that's a very long time for me to go without a training plan. And while I'm certainly rebuilding and have a ways to go, I've started to feel a little antsy with absolutely nothing to follow. At the same time, I don't really feel ready to jump into anything. I don't feel like I'm quite there with my distances. My speed sucks, so I'm not really going to be banging out a PR at any distance any time soon. So I've been increasing my runs by a mile each week and while that's great and all, it's not necessarily fun and I was starting to feel burned out. Last week, I thought, "What if I just do the first week in the Train Like a Mother: How to Get Across Any Finish Line - and Not Lose Your Family, Job, or Sanity 5k Own It Plan?" I didn't have any intention to continue with the plan, I just needed something to break up the monotony for a week. It worked. It was hard and the 400s nearly killed me, but it worked and it made me feel like a stronger runner for that week.

Then Keli texted me that she was going to do the AMR Virtual 5k. Back when I started running almost two years ago, Keli was my running inspiration. She kicked my butt in so many ways. When she came to visit me in October of 2011, we ran together and all I saw was the back of her for 4-5 miles because she was so fast! Then her half marathon training got derailed because she became pregnant. Then she had a giant baby and never gets to sleep, so she's looking for a way to get back on track. I mentioned that I'd just done week 1 of the 5k Own It plan, so what if we kept doing it together and at the end, ran a virtual 5k together? I mean, sure, I'm a week ahead, but you know how it is... somewhere I'll miss a few days or I'll need to repeat a long run, so this is perfect. Even more perfect is the fact that Keli did the math and figured that she'd be done on the weekend of May 11th. She already found a 5k on that weekend--and I already have a 5k scheduled that weekend, one that means a lot to me. The epilepsy 5k is that weekend and we'll be running and walking for Team Tommy again. Could it BE any more perfect? I don't think so.

Keli and I tend to be on the same wavelength a lot, so it's no surprise that we ended up on the same wavelength here. For example, we both own this same Old Navy skirt. I had no idea that she had it and vice versa, but we end up wearing it on the same day more often than not. Although I suspect that living in the south and not in the cold, harsh north, she gets more wear out of hers than I do.


I do most of my runs at 4:30 in the morning, because that's when my feet feel best. I also do this because if I don't run at 4:30, my next time is not until after work... and truthfully, I have little to no energy at that time of day. Keli figured that she could run at 5:30 her time, which would be 4:30 my time, so I can work on keeping her accountable (and I will, so watch out, K!).

To keep ourselves accountable to all of you, we'll blog about our training each week. Or the way we got angry at each other when we didn't want to do a run. Maybe there will be a screenshot. If you came over here from Keli's blog because you don't know me, here's a little bit about me:
Name: Erin
Age: 30
Location: Chicagoland
Favorite Running Music: I actually don't run to music. I stopped listening to music months ago when I realized that listening to music slowed down my pace. I don't really miss it! Also, because I run in the dark, I cut it out for safety reasons, but I've gone without it for so long that I don't even bother with it in the daylight.
Running Favorites: Garmin Forerunner 405 Wireless GPS-Enabled Sport Watch with USB ANT Stick and Heart Rate Monitor (Black) I don't leave home without it. Except that one time that it wasn't charged and that was tragic. Although I make a habit of not looking at it more than once every mile (unless I'm doing speedwork), I still couldn't live without it.
adidas Women's Perfect Rib Tank, Super Cyan, Medium These are the best running tanks. Long enough to be comfortable, but wicking and cool. I own them in several different colors. I think Keli does, too!
Running not so Favorites: Sesamoiditis. Yeah. Foot injuries are dumb.
Running shorts that creep up. Is there anything worse?!

The only way this could be better is if we could actually travel those 679 miles and run a 5k together in May. Sigh. I can dream, right?