5K?

   My tech,Ariel, has a goal of running a 5K race every month this year. I've had a lot of fun talking to her about it. I like hearing about which ones she plans to run and how she chooses her races. I like to see the pictures that she takes and hear about how it went.
  Maybe I'm guilty of a little vicarious experience because there is no way I could do anything like that. I didn't start running until I was 40 or so. I have to do my running early in the morning so my running season is limited to about four months. There is no way I would be able to train enough to run one of those. Besides that, I don't want to be one of those middle aged women trying to recapture their lost youth by doing things that younger people do.
   When she talks about them they sound like a lot of fun except maybe the one in February. That would be a little too cold for me. She talks about the Hot Chocolate run where she got a mug of things to dip in chocolate fondue after the race. She talks about the Colour Run where people throw coloured cornstarch at the runners. I think this year they might also be throwing glitter. She talks about the Warrior Dash which is a 5K with an obstacle course and Tough Mudder which is similar to it. Many of these races are fundraisers for various charities.
  I like listening to her stories, but lately there has been a little voice inside of me that says, "Wouldn't you like to try one of these?"
  I firmly tell that voice to shut up. I am too old and too out of shape to run one of these. A very casual runner like me has no business doing things like that. 5K runs are for serious runners.
  I had assumed that 5K was a very long distance. It turns out that I'm wrong. According to Ariel, 5K is about three miles. My running route is about a mile and a half. I'd just need to run it twice. I could do that.
  Slowly, the idea of running a 5K is slipping from something out of reach to something that might be possible. I certainly would be in shape enough to run around the block twice. C has started running with me. It's possible that he and I could run it together.
   It would be something of an accomplishment to do this. When I was in school we often had to run laps around the gym in phy ed class. We had to run a certain number of laps in a certain amount of time. If there was anyone still running after the time was up, the entire class had to do five more laps. Since I was slow, I was always still running. It made me really hate running as I equated it with the bullying that I endured in phy ed class. I didn't take up running until five years ago and found that I liked it. To go from someone who had avoided running to someone could run a 5K sounds like a  great achievement.
   It would also give me something new to work on. For the last three years my goal was to run my entire route without walking. I had achieved that. Maybe it's time for a new goal. C has always said that he works a lot better when he has a goal in mind.
  This could be something we could do together. I'm always looking for things we could do as a couple. I think it would be really cool to run a 5K with him.
   All I would need to do is finish the race. I've never been a fan of competing with other people. One of the things I like about running is that you can compete against yourself. Just crossing the finish line would be enough for me.
   This could be the start of something good.....I'll have to think about this a little more.....