5K, here I come!

I've always wanted to be a runner and I've always wanted to be a swimmer.  Recently, I've taken on running.  The swimming can wait as this may involve psychotherapy.  Let's just say that a swimming instructor physically forced a terrified child, head-first, into the deep end of the pool.  I guess that was how the YMCA taught children who can't swim, to dive, back in the mid to late 70's.  As I said, psychotherapy. 

I want to make it clear about the type of runner that I want to be.   As of today, I have no desire to run in half marathons or marathons.   I have no desire to time myself.  Running a 5K here and a 10K there without stopping would be quite sufficient.  This is my goal today.   One day, I may want to do more.

About 2 months ago, as part of this goal, I decided that I would participate in the Ben Does Life tour  when it comes to Atlanta on Sunday, June 26.   I thought that was realistic since I could comfortably walk 5 miles.   In the last few months, I would run at least a third of it.  My strategy was similiar to the Couch to 5K running plan.  So, I could possibly complete a 5K without walking.  If only I believe.

Initially, when I made a conscious decision to jog longer than half a mile, I remember exactly how I felt.  Sluggish, slow and annoyed.  Sluggish and slow, because I was.  Annoyed, because I didn't want to feel sluggish and slow.  I wanted to go jogging off into the sunset like I had been running for years.   But that's not how it works.  One great piece of advice given to me from a colleague and friend was that I should jog at a really slow pace.  She said something like... Karen, c'mon...like for real...technically you could jog at a slower pace than you currently walk.  That made a whole lot of sense to me and it works. 

When I'm running, I'm aware of demoralizing thoughts such as BOY ARE YOU SLOW, MAYBE YOU SHOULD STOP, WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS, YOU ARE WAYYY TOOO BIG TO BE RUNNING, I BET YOU LOOK RIDICULOUS AND SOMEWHAT FLICTED...etc, etc, etc.   I no longer worry about these thoughts or chastise myself for having them.  That's just fear and disbelief talking.  They do a whole lot of yappin initially in protest of change.   Besides, thoughts come and go.  All I need to do is to just keep running.  And I do.

The place where I am in training is Mountain Park Park.  And yes, it is really named Mountain Park Park.  One of my friends who lives close to the park told me about it.  I love it.  There are all kinds of friendly people there of different ages and skin hues.  Just the other day a tall, white fellow with beautiful grey hair in his sixties or seventies jogged past me and waved his hand and said...Hello there!  It was almost as if we knew each other.  I want to be like that twenty years from now.  I want to be jogging past people, enthusiastic, vibrant and saying hi to people I don't know. 

The park gets great useage because of the trails, baseball fields, tennis courts, skateboard park, soccer field and playground.  The 1 mile multi-use paved trail has 1/10 mile distance markers and that is great for what I'm trying to do.  This is one great use of public dollars.

On this particular day, I spent the first mile leisurely walking and taking photos (see below).  I then jogged the next two miles without stopping.  The last mile I walked and smiled like a fool.  It was approximately 1:08 pm, Sunday, May 15, 2011 when I finished 4 miles.  When I started the first mile at 11:55 am, I had no intention of jogging 2 miles.  However, I have consistently jogged 1-1.5 miles without stopping the last two weeks.   This time, I had reached a particular stopping point and decided to keep going.   It was a pretty simple decision.  Just keep going.  5K, here I come!

The starting point.  Most distance markers are partially hidden. 

A visually appealing pond that sometimes smells weird and stinky.

Maybe its the ducks...

This photo of the skatepark was actually taken several months ago.

Baseball fields down to the right

A lonely little stretch....

Playground and soccer fields.  A visible distance marker!

Just through the trees on the left is the public library.

My favorite distance marker...I'm close to finishing a mile.

Stone Mountain Park

Almost a week ago, I visited Stone Mountain Park.  I've been to this park too many times to count. Each time I experience something new, either because of the activity, season of the year, or the person with me.  Even when walking alone, I see something new.  This time I went with my neighbor Cedric.  I've come to know him from our chats from our respective driveways.  He was a great walking companion and I had a hard time keeping up with him. While walking, I saw this beautiful dogwood tree.

I have a variety of photos from my visits to Stone Mountain Park.  I love this Fall photo as it reminds me of the northeast.  The northeast has the most vibrant Fall season in the country.  Atlanta might just have the most beautiful Spring.

Another photo which is more consistent with the muted colors that you tend to see down here in Georgia during the Fall.  Still, beautiful in its own way. 

Stone Mountain is the largest piece of exposed granite in the world. 

I remember this day very clearly.  It was unseasonably cold and rainy and I was there with my primary walking buddy Arlene.  Our walks are great.  We talk about everything while we move around the mountain which is 5 miles.  On this particular day, we kept saying that the weather would clear up but it never did.  Every now and then the sun would break through but then it would start raining.   Ignorance isn't always bliss. I also brought along You Know Who (AKA Brandi), my canine companion.   

A view of the mountain from the dashboard of my car.  That was when I used to have an annual parking pass which is now $35 for the year.  A one day parking pass is $10 so it is beneficial to buy the annual pass if you plan to come often.  Now, I park outside of the mountain at one of the free parking lots as part of the PATH Foundation biking and walking trails.  The trail leads right into the park.
 

Last December, Arlene and I walked around the park looking at all of the holiday decorations.  She took this picture and thought I should send it to someone I was dating.  She said it was a cute hint for a date idea but I was getting tired of his shenanigans. 

Another photo of the dogwood tree.  You can see walkers to the left of the tree. 

A view from behind as I leave the park.  Visit http://pathfoundation.org/ to learn about the 160 miles of trails that the Path Foundation has successfully developed throughout Georgia in the last twenty years.   

The view in front of me.  Visit  http://www.stonemountainpark.com/ to learn more about the park.