Virtual 5K Biography

Ok, so I know I stated that I'd never do another meme on this blog. So this is NOT a meme. This is an "interview..."
Thanks to Wee Little Me for sponsoring the Virtual 5K, and asking all about me.

1. When did you start running?
I started on 4/2/2008, and began the C25K on 4/28/08.

2.Did you follow a plan (C25K etc.) to get you started running? If so, what plan did you use? If not, how did you go about getting started?

I started out just running until I had to walk, and walking until I could run again. Man did THAT suck! I did a few workouts on the Runner's World Beginner's Program, but then I discovered C25k. Not having to look at my watch constantly to time my intervals was the kind of assistance I needed to really get hooked on running. C25K is the most valuable podcast I've downloaded in... well, maybe ever.

3. Why did you start running?

I used to be a pretty fit guy. I was a jock in high school, and then I was into various martial arts and cycling. Unfortunately, I let myself get really fat when I went back to college, and I needed to lose the 100 pounds or so I gained as a student.

I also started running because I play a lot of court sports (handball, squash, badminton, etc.) and I wanted to play them better. Endurance seemed like a pretty easy thing to improve, so I started running.

4. Now that you are running regularly, what do you find to be the biggest benefits?

Because I live in a communal setting with several other students, my runs are my private time. Two of my housemates are also runners now, but I always go out running alone. It's my time to focus and clear my head.

Another benefit is that adding running to my schedule of badminton, handball, squash and tennis helped me break through a plateau I was stuck at in my weight loss.

Finally, the biggest benefit has been the sense that I am not hopeless where endurance sports are concerned. I never believed that I could run a 5K, much less enjoy it. Once I got those first few C25k runs under my belt, however, I began to believe.

5. What are your future plans for running? Short-term and Long-range.

I think I am going to start using the "One Hour Runner" program after C25K is over. I want to try a 10K in the Fall, and then we'll see where it goes from there. In the long run, I hope to run the Denver Marathon in 2009.

6. What are your personal goals for the Virtual 5K?

Based on my run tonight, the Runner's World Finish Time Calculator has me crossing the line in 37:44. My current times include the walking warm-up and cool-down part of the C25K podcasts, so when I can run the whole distance, I hope to lower my time to around 35:00.

7. Do you have a music “theme song” that you will use for this race?

Not a given song, but my race day playlist will include the Sex Pistols, Green Day, Elvis Costello, Ministry, The Damned, The Cure, Social D, and maybe some Generation X...


By the way, there are several members of the Flock who are also runners; we need to hear about your progress! Flynn? G-Fresh? Regis? WNG?