My progress so far and future goals

It's less than two weeks until my big race in Whangamata! So I thought I'd update you with my progress so far and what my plans are for after the race.

So, how's my training going? I'm running 5km once to twice a week. I'm finding it easier to run 5km, it doesn't seem as far as I used to think it was. I ran 8km a couple of weeks ago and felt really good, I feel like I have pushed passed that mental block of struggling to run over 5km. I'm getting nervous about racing and the pressure I've put on myself in regards to the time I'm aiming for. I'm trying to focus on having fun and spending a day with the family, I'm really glad my family will be there to support me.

What are my future goals? I really want to focus on consistency and slowly increasing my distance. I want to do some training off road for a change of scenery.

I'm looking at entering the quarter marathon race in Rotorua, I've considered entering this as my next or future race. I've got the support from my partner, as we'll book in a family holiday for the same weekend. If you're interesting in competing in this race you can check out their website here.

I'd like to also enter a trail race once I've established my off road training, something that is local and less than 10 km. I'll have to do some research soon to see what's coming up.

How will I change my training after the Whangamata race?  I'll aim to do my weekend/long run off road,  or maybe I need to alternate between on road and off road.
I also want to start focusing on my eating habits and to look into incorporating clean recipes as dinner options

The last time I ran the 5km at Whangamata

What are some yummy clean recipes that I can sneak in front of my fussy family? Do you know of any cool races coming up in the next 6 months that you think I should enter?

Race= entered

I have entered a race! I have entered the 5km distance at the Whangamata run walk festival. It is on the 6th September 2014, and I have competed in this race before. It's nice and close to where I live, so thought it'll be the perfect starting point.

Whangamata is a gorgeous beach town on the eastern coast of the Coromandel peninsular, only about an hours drive from my house. Quite often busy in the summer, it is a great holiday destination. My partner's family have been going every year for a long time now, so they know Whangamata quite well. There are a great range of shops, in particular, the surf shops are excellent!

The course of the 5km is all on-road and is a loop, starting and finishing at the Whangamata area school. 

From the website, 'All three courses take in spectacular views of ocean beach & pristine bush-clad hills along the way. The pride of the Coromandel, Whangamata, boasts a wide range of recreational choices including:  surfing, fishing, kayaking, tramping, mountain biking, birdwatching as well as plenty of shopping, arts and crafts, plus great cafes, restaurants and bars!'

I did this same race in 2010 with a time of 36 minutes, I'm aiming to better this time with 35 minutes or less, I would be really happy with 34 minutes! 

Currently, I can run 5km in about 40 minutes, so will work on increasing my speed with incorporating speed intervals into my training runs. I'm hoping that now I'm slowly getting better, I'll be able to get back into a good running routine.