Virtual 5K

Some of you may have noticed the new banner on the right for the Wee Little Virtual 5K. I've committed to running in it, and I hope some of you will too!

It's pretty simple - click on the link, commit to moving your body (you can run, walk, skip, crawl, etc.) for 5k (3.1 miles) on the 28th or 29th of June 2008, then report your time. You can also write a race report and have it linked on the page, too. I'm a terrible runner, but this gives me a goal for which to prepare.

I am on week 4 of the Couch to 5k program; it takes you from one minute running intervals to running a full 30 minutes non-stop in 9 weeks. To make the intervals easier to time, I'm using the Podcasts for Running created by Robert Ullrey. He recorded a podcast for each week of the program that tells you when to run and when to walk, and he gives pointers and encouragement along the way.

Many of you have heard me say terrible things about running - and I was right. In the brief time that I've been running I have encountered rain, sleet, snow, hail, angry dogs, angry old people, and huge clouds of car and truck exhaust. I've experienced back pain, ankle pain, knee pain, post-run giddiness, mid-run depression, and pre-run anxiety. It offers all of the sweatiness and misery of handball, with almost none of the exhilaration.

Yet, I like it somehow; perhaps I'm exploring my masochistic side. I like taking time for myself, away from everyone and everything, and just working on me - my heart, my lungs, my legs. (I also refuse to be defeated by a physical skill I mastered at the age of three!) At this point, there is no strategy, no planning. It's just one foot in front of the other, repeat as needed. That level of simplicity is good in my life these days.

Thus far I haven't had any real injuries, just occasional owies and soreness - nothing that doesn't go away before the next run. I am progressing at a very measured and reasonable pace that isn't tearing my legs up, and I'm allowing myself proper rest between workouts. In other words, I'm approaching this unlike any other sport I've ever tried. It's not that I don't have grand plans (like the Denver Marathon in 2009, for instance...), it's just a symptom of my age and size. I'm a big guy who has avoided running (other than the brief sprinting required by the games I play) for many years, so I'm easing back into it. I've finally become cautious with my body. I well recall the crippling pain of shin splints and sciatica brought on by running too much too soon. I'm not interested in being shut down by them again. Like I said above, I have a race to run soon!