My First 5K--Check

I finished my first 5K walk today. And it was a blast. Everyone was walking pretty slowly, but it surprised me that my natural walking pace was faster than a lot of the people around me. I started out toward the back of the pack and finished somewhere in the middle. The event didn't keep time, but I had my heart rate monitor on, so I know my time was 1 hr and 10 minutes, with 656 calories burned.

Normally when I work out, I go to the gym by myself, get my workout done, and head out. The festive atmosphere and the buzz of everyone moving together towards the same goal made the same work easier and more exciting at the same time. I loved it.

So now I've got to start working the Couch to 5K program (and not quit for the like ninth time), so I can run a real 5K race. There's one the Saturday after Thanksgiving that's pretty much the last one near Philly until next year, so I have to start this week if I want to run a 5K in 2009. I have 8 weeks to get prep, so it's on.