Over the years I’ve had a number of new fitness “things”. I remember in 1997 it was spinning. I was hesitant to attend a class, but not sure why. I suppose it could have been the unknown. Or maybe the fact that the classes had a cult-like feel. People who were spinners seemed possessed. All they wanted to do or talk about was their amazing workout. And their gear: special shoes, shorts, and even gloves. It was all too much for me. I was intrigued and put off at the same time. Eventually, I finally decided to go to a class.
The room was dark with well dimmed lighting and it was difficult to see what was going on. The instructor assisted me onto my bike and adjusted my seat and handle bars. She gave me a few tips: Do what I can, don’t stand up on the pedals today, and most of all, just enjoy.
She took her place at the front of the room and off we went. Her music selection was good from what I remember. I took it all in: Checking out the other riders, watching their form, listening to the instructor all the while getting a great cardio workout. Before I knew it, I was hooked and spinning was my new thing.
Memorial Day Weekend, last Sunday, I ran my first 5k. I have run 10k’s in the past and do a 10k mud run each June; however, I had never considered a 5k. My co-worker, Serena, said that she and her husband and new baby were going to run the Brentwood 5k, and that they do this run every year. So my first thought, “Sign me up.” I was going to need a workout, and the class that I usually teach on Sundays was cancelled due to the holiday weekend.
The 5k started at 830am. I didn’t want to deal with parking traffic, so I rode my bike to the start line.
A nice warm up and I burned 200 calories! I met Serena a few minutes before the race started. It’s was flat course, so our goal was to complete the 3.1 miles in less than 30 minutes. After a few pre-race stretches and a couple of jokes about the 8 year old girls lined up in front of us, the starting gun was fired.
We were off and running.
I’ll admit it: The race was so much fun. A 5k is the perfect length race as far as I’m concerned. Easy breezy. I finished in 27:01! My mile time has increased since last year, as I took 4 months off to heal my back injury. A nine minute mile is fine with me for now. My goal is to slowly increase my speed because no doubt, 5K’s are my new thing. So much so, that I signed up for my next one on June 12th.
What’s your new thing? I would love to hear and give it a try.
-Susy
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