The Steel Days 5K and thoughts on exercise

On the morning of the final day of Steel Days, the kids and I got up way earlier than any of us really wanted to in order to be at the starting line of the annual Steel Days 5K.  You see, at one of my committee meetings, I got this irrational desire to participate in the 5K for the first time EVER!  Not wanting to do it alone, I convinced my kids to do it with me.  They were both very willing and agreed when it was still 2 weeks away.  The morning of was another matter.

The only true early bird in our house is Bill.  The rest of us are night owls who have a very hard time dragging our carcasses out of bed in the morning.  It is easier for me than the kids.  I have lots of practice making myself get up even when I'd rather be in bed.  Years of mommy training, after all.  However, having said that, I have seen both of them get up early when it suits them.

Anyways, the morning of the race found all three of us standing at the starting line with varying degrees of commitment to the task at hand.  At the starting buzzer we set off at a mild jog that we could only sustain long enough to get us well out of sight of the starting line.  Then we slowed to a fast walk and maintained that for the remainder of the 'race' (minus a short burst of jogging here or there). 

To be honest, I was surprised at my kids' lack of endurance.  Before the race was half over they were talking of just heading home and not finishing.  The entire race takes place within easy walking distance to our house, so that wasn't an idle threat.  A 5K equals approximately 3.2 miles, so we are not talking about extreme sports here.  I say I was surprised because both of my kids are slim and trim models of perfect health.  In fact, I am the only pudgy person in my family.

Fortunately, at the point where the 5K was closest to home, it was also getting close to the finish line, meaning the kids and I knew where the rest of the course would take us and we all decided that we could make it that far.

Our time was an embarrassing 47 minutes.  Still, before we set out I really had no idea how long it would really take us and I was just glad it was over and took us less than an hour!

You know, I really LIKED the 5K!  That was a shocker.  I have always avoided running type stuff.  I even avoided the treadmill at the gym and used the elliptical instead.  I have a 'bad knee', you see.

Um, yeah.

I liked the 5K so much that I decided to change my exercise routine.  Now, instead of the elliptical, I use the treadmill.  I do a 5K.  I want to get my time down to under 30 minutes before the next official 5K.  When will that be?  I don't know.  For sure I need to be ready for next year's Steel Days event!

For now, I have "run" about 7 more 5Ks since that morning.  My time is now under 44 minutes.  I even jogged non-stop for the LAST 5 minutes of my most recent workout and came home completely soaked in sweat.  Not earth shattering, but it is a start.