A Day at the Races

Last year, I made a New Year's resolution to get in shape and lose some weight.  I, being offended by the very notion of physical activity, put off any attempts at exercise until Easter.  At that point, I decided to be more serious about my health.  Thanks to the motivation from a fun workout website (Fitocracy) and my good friend Mr. Bill (1/2 of my current blogging audience... Hi Bill!), I buckled down and did the work.  I started eating better and hitting the gym about four times a week.  I lost a good chunk of weight: 15 lbs. and counting!

My usual routine consisted of lifting dumbbells and doing cardio on the elliptical machine.  Running wasn't one of my workout options because my endurance was terrible.  And frankly, running hurts.  It's simple enough that any toddler can do it, but to keep at it for 3 miles or more? That requires some determination (or insanity, depending on the length of the run).  With the encouragement of friends and family, I decided to give it a shot.  I ran my first 5K race, the Wet & Wild 5K, at Knott's Berry Farm in August of last year.  It was a great introductory race because about 1/3 of the last part consisted of wading through waist deep water.  In other words, I didn't have to run the entire 3.1 miles.  Naturally, I struggled during this race.  My cousin's coaching (read: yelling) helped me to keep going.  I was hurting and finished with a terrible time.  But I finished.  That's something I would have never dreamed of accomplishing three years ago.

Things have changed within the last year.  I've now run 5 different races (including the Santa Monica 5000, which didn't have finisher medals), and I'm about to run my 6th, Wahoo's OC 5K, this coming Sunday.  My endurance has gotten better, but my finishing time still isn't very good; I average about 44 minutes.  However, I know that just doing these races is helping me stay in shape and motivating me to keep trying.  Despite all the pain, I actually like running.  Perhaps not as much as getting shots, visiting the dentist, or being chased by wild dingos...  But running keeps me from sitting on my lazy ass all week.  That's important for someone who must sit all day in an office, and then sit all night trying to write the next great American short story.  So my take home message to the masses (well, Bill already does this, so I guess I'm referring to the other person that makes up my audience) is go outside and be active once in a while.  Whether you go to the gym or take a stroll around the park, being active will make a positive impact on your life.  It's worked for me thus far.  And if a former french-fried coach potato can do it, so can you.

See you at the races!

My current collection of 5K race bling: The Coaster Run, Live Ultimate Run, Wet & Wild 5K, and The Hollywood 5K/10K