St. Mary's 5K, 2009, here I come

Some of you know that I started running back in March. Really, I wasn't sure if I would continue; for one thing, some who love me were not thrilled, being concerned about the toll running would take on my aging, overweight body. For another, when the weather got hot and humid, I figured I might lose interest. Well, so far, I've persisted, NOT with the intent of competing, but just for the joy and exercise of it. I broke down and bought running shoes a few weeks ago, and had gradually increased my distance to 2 1/2 miles 2 or 3 times per week.

So last Sunday, Dad called with the news that he had won his age group at St. Mary's in the 5k, an annual event in Saginaw, MI, that he has run for many years. He claims he was the only one in his group, but as in so many arenas in life, showing up is half the challenge! At any rate, he talked to Dave first, who told him I've been running, so when I spoke to him, he asked how far I run, and I said 2 1/2 miles is what I'm doing and all I aspired to and he slyly remarked: "If you increased to 3 miles, you could start running in some races."

Well, I can say "no" to almost anything but a direct challenge, so I immediately responded: "All other things being equal, I'll run the St. Mary's 5K with you next year!"

So now I'm in training! This week, I ran 3 miles 3 times. I am slow as mud. I find it hard to time myself, but it looks like the first mile is about 10 minutes, the 2nd is 11 and the 3rd is 12. So now that I know I CAN run 3 miles without stopping, my goal is to whittle several minutes off my time, and get so that I can put in 3 miles in 27 minutes. Still slow, but something to aim for.

Thankfully, I have a year to get ready!