Organized Run

I have several friends who have entered running events. At various times I have asked why they would pay money to go and run if you have no real chance of winning. It made sense to pay to play hockey or baseball but running never really made sense.

I was convinced to enter the 5K of the Canada Army Run. Last week-end was the race and I now have a better understanding of it.

I think the first benefit of entering a run is it gives you a goal to train for. It gets you going and helps you gauge your progress. There's a reason for lacing up your shoes and heading out in the heat or the rain and running until you can produce a puddle of your own sweat. 

Race day is exciting. There are people everywhere. There are people warming up. There are people stretching. As people load into their respective corrals, the biomass grows. The gun goes off and you are running. Now the race day factor cuts in and you can do more than usual. As far as I know, until last Sunday, I had never run continuously for five kilometres. Now I can say I have. I ran the whole length in a time of 30'31". I'm pleased with that time. I figured if I ran the whole length, I would be between 30 and 31 minutes. The people cheering you on is also up-lifting. I didn't realize it would help as much as it did.

I am probably not going to run a 5K every month like some people do but I will do it from time to time and I will continue to run as part of my exercise regime. I have to say this is an example of you don't know what it's like until you try it. My life is better because I did.

Running Away

It's no secret I have never been a fan of running. I think there is a couple of reasons for this. 

First, I don't have a classic runner's body. I have broad shoulders and notoriously short legs. It's not the frame of a guy who is going to pick up running.

Second, I have never had a real reason to head out and just run.

A while back I was talked into signing up for the 5K in the Army Run. I'm pretty sure I could have just showed up and ran it but if you are going to do something, you should do it right. So, I have started running.

Now, with any new venture there will be some bumps in the road. The first couple of runs were in the early afternoon. It was when I had time. If you have not been running regularly, taking off for a run in Eastern Ontario or Southern Quebec in the hottest part of the day in July is not recommended. It wasn't so much that I had been gassed, I felt like overheating was imminent. Check. Lesson learned.

The next attempt was early in the morning. It was a great improvement. I wan't going to be standing in a puddle of my own sweat at the end of the run. I was thinking I had it figured out. Then I realized I had made a bit of an error. The night before I ate some spicy Italian sausage. I'll save you the gory details but lets just say it was rather critical that I slow down or bad things were going to happen. Check. Lesson learned.

Yesterday, I went again. Like the last run it was early in the morning so I didn't overheat. Again it wasn't perfect but I have sorted some of it out. My biggest problem now is trying to keep myself slowed down so I run a steady pace. This will take a few runs to get it sorted out but I'm getting there. 

I think after giving up Coca-Cola which has resulted in losing thirteen pounds and having to buy smaller pants and walking to work since moving to Ottawa, running is a natural extension. I have been exercising regularly for almost a decade but I always avoided running. Not any more.

I doubt you will ever hear of me running a marathon. It's not on my horizon at this time. If you want to run one, giver but it's not my goal. I see running as a compliment to my existing fitness routine.

I'll provide an update when I'm further into this new adventure. For now I'm hoping for a couple of runs a week while I figure out what a good pace is and a decent performance in the Army Run. It can only serve to improve my fitness and that is never a bad thing.