What is it about the number 3? Everything seems to come in 3s. And we have enough sayings to prove it …

• 3 sheets to the wind. (We’ve all been there. And we loved it.)
• The 3rd wheel. (We’ve all been there. And we didn’t love it.)
• 3 is a crowd. (Unless you’re going for a long run – then the more the merrier!)
• Give 3 cheers – hip, hip, hooray! (Hopefully being shouted by your adoring spectators)
• 3rd time’s a charm. (We’re always learning as runners, right?)
• Oh, and because it’s December, the 3 wise men.

I guess running comes in 3s too, because I’ve had 3 running moments in the last week that are worth sharing. I ran a 1-mile time trial (keep reading to see my time), a 10K on Saturday and a track workout involving a sandbag this morning.

1. One-Mile Time Trial
If you’ve read my blog lately, you know I started cross-training with a boot camp in my neighborhood a few weeks ago. This past Friday, the first part of our workout was to run a timed mile. This of course helps to determine how much you improve from the beginning to the end of camp. My competitive nature sparked into high gear. I toed the line and was actually nervous. I felt like I was back in high school about to run the 400-meters. It’s ridiculous, but when you have a competitive streak in you, old habits die hard. My goal was to hopefully be under 7 minutes. I ran the first 400 in 1:15 (perhaps a bit too aggressive). Although my second half was a little slower than the first, I crossed the line in 6:20. I was pumped. It made me realize how much more I have in me than I might think I do, and that I should probably be running my speed work at a much faster pace than I have been.

2. Atlanta Beltline 10K (mini race recap)
The Sunday after Thanksgiving, I confessed to the world that I’d had a crappy eating and exercise holiday week. I pledged to achieve 4 goals the following week, one of which was to run the Atlanta Beltline 10K – a small race close to my house. (And yes, I achieved all 4 goals, thank you very much!)

The race started at 10 a.m., which was heavenly. No waking up at the crack of dawn, plenty of time to empty the stomach *wink* and late enough that I could get Mr. rUnladylike to join me. There were about 1,400 runners, which actually felt like thousands since the race was predominantly on a small path (called the Beltline – a new path that is connecting many neighborhoods throughout Atlanta). This was a fun race, but very interesting to say the least. I am calling it the race that had a little bit of everything.

The first mile was completely congested with runners trying to make their way in a very narrow space. The first half-mile felt almost like a walk (pace: 8:27).

During the second mile I was able to break away. I found my own space, although I had to run on the edge of the path for most of the mile. It was also a nice, yet slight downhill (pace: 7:40).

The third mile was a complete conundrum. It was on an unpaved trail of small rocks, gravel and dirt. It was literally like trail running. The space was still narrow and there were still many runners who needed to be dodged. Therefore I had to be very careful of my footing. I’m wondering how many people rolled an ankle. (pace: 8:15).

The fourth mile we emerged back on the road. We ran through a park and up and down some rolling hills (pace: 8:10).

The final 2 miles were the same as the first 2 miles, just going the opposite direction. The good news was that the crowd had thinned at this point. The bad news was that miles 5 and 6 were slightly uphill. The sun was shining in our face and it was quite hot. My pace slowed considerably, but I tried to maintain what I had left (pace for 5 & 6: 8:26).

The last 0.2 miles was mostly downhill. I sprinted to the finish with what I had left (pace: 7:00).

Time: 50:51 (average pace: 8:12) (And yes, if you must know, Mr. rUnladylike kicked my ass.)

So what did I learn (3 things, of course)?

• It’s enjoyable to run a race for fun. Not for time, just because. I haven’t been training for a 10K and certainly wouldn’t consider this a stellar race, but I’m happy with my time given the conditions of the course and the lack of speed work since the Marine Corps Marathon.
• I think the 10K distance is one in which I could really improve with the proper training and speed work. I’d love to hit 48 minutes and then eventually get to a place where I could run a 7:30 average pace per mile for the 10K distance (that works out to a 46:36 race time). Maybe in 2013???
• Don’t expect a lot from a local race in its inaugural year. The course wasn’t ideal, but it was fun. There were no frills, like timing chips or adequate porta potties, but it was a great way to kick off a weekend and the month of December.

3. Sandbagging
I’ve run a mile before. I’ve run a 10K before. So the first 2 running things on my list above aren’t groundbreaking. But today, I experienced a first. I ran 600-meters while carrying a 30-pound sandbag on my back. It was part of my boot camp workout today. It was interesting – challenging, yet doable. But I don’t think I’ll be running a marathon anytime soon lugging one of these things on my shoulders.

What running accomplishments have you achieved during the last week? Ever run while carrying a sandbag???