5K

Most of the bloggers I read are runners, so it seems natural that it would pique my interest in running. Last night, I had a dream I was running in a 5K, and it felt awesome.

The path went down some streets and then into the woods. Some people from work were there. In fact, the guy who sits in the cubicle next to mine passed me at one point and said, "Good job! Keep going! I'll see you at the finish."

It wasn't easy, like you'd think a dream would be. I was still sweaty, hot, and tired. I had a sense we were halfway through the race, so I'd been running for about 20 minutes. I was going at the same pace I ran in high school, when we ran a mile on Monday, a mile and a half on Wednesday, and two miles on Friday. I had gym class right after lunch, so it was torture. My mile improved from 14:50 to 10:37 during that year - nothing stellar, but I remember being so excited when I ran the entire mile instead of stopping to walk for a bit (that's when I got the 10:37).

Anyway, the 5K ended early for some reason, and everyone was told to stop. I was pretty bummed because I really wanted to finish that race and feel the accomplishment of doing something new and awesome. They decided to reschedule the race, and I started to bug everyone, asking how I could sign up again. Someone told me the race would be on March 3rd, and I remember wondering, "How on earth am I supposed to dress for that? I can't wear a scarf. Maybe I can wear a heavy sweatshirt with something under it."

Then I woke up.

Given that my feet and ankles can hardly handle a serious walking regimen right now (well, at least until I get fit for proper shoes and stop over-pronating), training for a 5K is a ways off. It's definitely on my list, though. I don't think I'll become one of those people who does a 10K, half-marathon, or even a marathon, but who knows. Maybe I'll fall in love with running. I always hated it during high school, but it was after lunch, the popular girls made me feel slow, and I couldn't wear headphones. Maybe, when it's on my own terms, I'll like it. There are times I'm walking and a super powerful awesome song comes on, and it makes me want to run so badly. It would be nice to actually do that once in a while.

Mostly, I'm scared of training in public. Walking is one thing, but watching a 340-pound girl huff and puff as she runs... I'm not sure I want to be that girl. There is a small track at the intermediate school just around the corner. Hardly anybody is there after school hours. The playground isn't used, and the track actually has weeds growing through the tracks. It's also sort of hidden from the road with a fence and some trees. My HRM has a stopwatch feature, so I'd be able to time my splits if I follow the C25K program. Once I get fit for some proper shoes, I might have to see what I'm capable of. I'm not expecting much right now since I'm so heavy - and I'm scared to hurt my knees - but it's worth a shot.