My First 5 K: Backgrounder

My Walking Partner Was This Two Year Old Moose Calf

Okay here it goes ... gonna try using this blog of mine to post my thoughts and more as I prepare for my first 5K run.

Since February of last year I have been keeping myself active and it has resulted in me losing 50 pounds ... technically it is 49 pounds as I still have one more pound to shed. I started by just walking and I can remember my very first walk.

It was only a four kilometer walk, two kilometers from my house and back again. The walk itself was a feat to complete and my wife reminded me just the other day that I was complaining that she was walking too fast and that we had gone too far. Wow has that changed! Now I walk on average four kilometers with my nightly dog walk.

After that first walk, it took me over a week before I said to myself that I need to get back out there and do it again. I took the dog and we went on a short walk, but at least I got back out there. I didn't get out on a daily basis, but I would try to go at least twice and sometimes three times a week.

One of the first changes I noticed was with my daily routine. Instead of spending all day on the computer and then bringing work home with me that would have me sitting at my computer for hours in the evening, I was now going outside with the dog for at least a couple of hours. Soon I was just leaving my personal computer at work and not even bringing it home, because when I did it was only sitting in the carrying bag anyways.

I started going on walks with much more regularity and noticed that they were getting easier to accomplish. Most of my walks were on mainly level ground with not very much change in elevation. I started adding that to my walks by heading to the base of University Hill, not the road but through the Connector Trails and taking the 1 kilometer incline to the top.

The first time I did this trail I thought I was gonna die (sound familiar) and had to stop twice along the way. Fortunately there were benches on the path that I could use to catch my breath. I kept at it and it didn't take long before I was heading up the hill without having to stop.

The turning point in my walks came on July 7th, when I went on a long walk that ended up totaling 13 kilometers. During this walk I ended up walking alongside a two year old moose calf. It was so surreal as the moose walked beside me for a few steps before I realized what was happening. I stopped dead in my tracks as the moose took a few more steps before he too stopped and looked back at me. I looked nervously around for the mom for fear of an attack, but there was nobody else around. Shortly after the moose calf decided it was time to continue on and away he went.

By the way, that story is going to be the genesis of a future blog about wearing noise dampening headphones and listening to music while out walking or running.

I Credit My Success To This Device

Okay, I think you can see where this is all leading ... I started walking and added resistance to those walks. I still wasn't contemplating running as I don't, or at least didn't, consider myself a runner. The addition of my Fitbit and the use of GPS enabled tracking apps, I like Sports Tracker, allowed me to use data as a form of motivation to go longer and faster.

As summer started to turn to fall with winter closing in, I noticed that my walks were getting a little more uncomfortable with the cooler temperatures. That along with the start of hockey season forced me to figure out something different to continue an active lifestyle. My wife, who was the first person to really encourage me, had a membership at the Northern Sports Centre so I added a spousal membership.

I wasn't sure how that was going to work out for me because I've never been a big fan of working out with a bunch of strangers, but work out it did. I average three times a week and sometimes four times a week when I'm not traveling with the Spruce Kings. I really only spend time on the track and sometimes the treadmill (there's another blog that I'm going to have).

Spending time on the track, it was just a natural fit to try running and that has fueled my desire to see if I can complete a 5K run. Before heading inside for my "workouts," I had been playing around with a C25K app but hadn't got past the Week 3 level. I believe now I will be able to get a lot farther into the app and should be able to complete the full C25K (couch to 5K) training.

But that is still to be tested as I have only been able to run a full 5K on the treadmill once and haven't been able to do much more than one kilometer on a regular basis on the track. I suppose that is where I am the most nervous, because if I can't run for 5 kms on the track, how am I suppose to do that in a road race?

I know I am pushing myself, but still have a ways to go both physically and mentally as there are some hurdles that I can't seem to clear just yet. As far as walking etc. goes, I don't seem to tire out on walks no matter the duration and currently with my Fitbit, my daily goal is set to 14,287 steps which equates to 100,000 steps a week. The Sports Tracker app challenges me to add speed to my walks which I have also seen a steady increase in. So all that is really left is to get running and get myself to that mental level that lets me know I can accomplish the feat and reach my goal of running a 5K.