Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Krispy Kreme Challenge Trial #1

I have a list of 30 things to do before I turn 30.  Running a 5k in under 30 minutes is on that list, but I keep falling off the wagon when I train for them.  I've run a few in the past year, always clocking in 1-2 minutes short of my goal.

So, when I met the Resource Development Coordinator for Lexington's Habitat for Humanity (a fellow Michigan Alum), I was so excited to hear that they were doing a fundraising Krispy Kreme Challenge 5k.  For those who have never heard of this, participants run a 5k, but stop in the middle to consume a dozen Krispy Kreme original glazed donuts.  I'd heard about these races, but I have never had the opportunity to participate in one.  With a sweet tooth as strong as mine, this finally gave me some motivation to get my feet back out on the pavement.

There's a Krispy Kreme right down the road from me.  So, I decided to see how far away it was:
Roughly 1/2 of a 5k.  How perfect!
This sparked the idea to actually train for the upcoming KKC.  Nothing intense, but I wanted to try running it a few times and consuming donuts to see how my body would react.  (Plus, my domestic partner doesn't let me eat delicous Krispy Kreme donuts without a reason.)  I decided I would run my first trial and eat only a half-dozen donuts.  This is already about double the amount of calories that I'd burn by actually running a 5k, but I used it as breakfast, also.  I was given the advice to start the race hungry.  I'd never typically do this (nor recommend it), but it makes sense in this case due to the calories I'd be consuming mid-race.  I'd feel guilty if I had breakfast before this many donuts, anyway.

Here's how it went:

My time was way faster than I would expect.  So, I had some doubts in Google's distance.  When in doubt, MapyMyRun.  MapMyRun indeed told me that the distance was actually only 1.43 mi.  That explains the discrepancy.  However, I'm still running faster than I expected.  I don't expect to win the upcoming race, but if I can continue to run that fast, I should be able to check another goal off of my 30 by 30 list.

Still a great route for training. Maybe I'll circle my block to perfect it.
I'd still like to do a run where I eat 9 donuts, as well as a practice run where I eat the whole dozen.  I can't do it this weekend (the in-laws are in town).  That gives me just enough time to get two more good trials in before the real Krispy Kreme Challenge is here.

Here's to hoping you find something that motivates you this month!  Feel free to come run with me and raise money for an outstanding organization.

Happy Dancing,
~RoB