Prequel #3: The First Race

Out of the gym, I did my usual "logistical" thing: research and look over web sites about this prospective hobby. I read in the local newspaper's running column that an upcoming 5K would break up the winter blahs and raise money for a worthy cause. Walkers were invited. I now had an external goal.

OK. If 15 minutes a mile is a reasonable time for a first race, that would mean under 47 minutes for a 5K (3.1 miles.) My workouts at the gym would now include walks of 3.1 miles at 4.1 mph, then 4.2 and 4.3 and occasionally higher speeds at lower distance.. The intent was to be ahead of my goal during treadmill time so that the actual road conditions (like hills! bad weather! floppy clothing!) could be overcome and keep my goal in reach.

I showed up at the Lowe's 5K with a bottle of water to carry, a towel to wipe sweat off my face, a hoody sweatshirt to walk in and my new mantra of goals for the day:

• SURVIVE
• Finish
• Have a good time

It was lightly raining and cool. I didn't know if I'd actual start. But I saw people warming up, some really serious and some not. I saw high school teams, but also people who seemed like me. All in good moods. So I stayed and lined up the rest of them, way towards the back where there were other walkers. Runners and walkers started together in this race.

"Start!" The runners spurted ahead. To my surprise, I bolted out at around my (then) top walking speed and was in the front of a small second tier of walkers and some runners. Step by step, counting mentally: "One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four." I kept up my pace. Mantra one was holding. When I reached the half way mark and turned around, it looked like mantra two was going to happen. When I crossed the finish line at 42 minutes and was 2nd for male walkers, I was hooked.

I stayed for two more hours, eating refreshments and waiting for my winnings: a coffee mug, which was brought in to work to show my lunch-time walking colleagues.

There are no pictures of this race (and that is good, since I looked very odd carrying my own water bottle and towel the way I did ) and the time printed for me in the paper listings was wrong, but that didn't matter.

I added a 4th mantra for future races:

• Enjoy the food after finishing.
  

My weight was now under 200. Hmm.....wonder if it could go lower.

A word about diet: 


During 2009, I didn't do anything crazy with regard to diet. But I make some adjustments. I started having a very regular breakfast: cheerios, a banana, orange juice and coffee.  I ate less at lunch, usually munching some salad and a small soup or small sandwich. I skipped daytime desserts and snacks. I don't care for carbonated drinks, so drinking only water helped avoid those empty calories. At dinner, we ate moderately and would have one smallish dessert later in the evening.  I guess you could say that I ate sensibly. Which left room for eating unsensibly on the twice a month poker night or having a really good dessert once in a while, particularly on weekends!