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.
Healthy You Challenge Check In #20
Starting Weight (5/13/09): 320 lbs.
Last Week's Weight: 296.4 lbs.
Current Weight: 295 lbs.
Weight lost this week: 1.4 lbs.
Total Weight Lost: 25 lbs.
Yay yay yay! 25 lbs lost. That is all.
My First 5K
I did it. I registered for my first 5K yesterday. It's a walk, not a race, so they won't be keeping time and I can go at my own pace without feeling the least bit guilty. One of my co-workers asked me to sign up because his father died of diabetes when he was young. I hesitated at first because I can't run very far at all. When he told me it was just a walk, I got really excited. Of course, not excited enough to actually go through with registration until last night. Baby steps.
I'm really stoked. To get in the mood, I did two miles at 3 miles an hour on the treadmill today. Not very fast, but steady. When I finish this walk, I hope the experience will get me enthused about public events enough to train for a 5K run.
If you're in the Philly area and you want to check it out, the website for the event is here.
