Training is Fun

Today I realized that there can be an advantage to exercising early in the morning because there are usually fewer people around to see, or in my case hear, you make a fool of yourself.

I left the Y just before seven this morning, having finished my workout. I headed to my car in the parking lot, unlocked the door, and slid into the driver's seat. Well, "slid" might be a tad too generous a word, because I didn't slide so much as I struggled to get into proper position. And as I did so, I let out a mortifyingly loud groan. There was only one other person in the parking lot and she didn't react, but I think it's because she was being polite, or maybe because I'd frightened her too much.

I guess the workout was a tad harder than I thought it would be.

But it will help me prepare for the Fourth Annual Franklin W. King III Run for Kids, which takes place at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 3rd. Kids races start at 9:15, and a 2-mile walk begins at 9:30.

This run begins on Gothic Street, turns right onto Main Street, and then onto Elm, around Childs Park, down Prospect to Trumbull, and then back onto Gothic Street, finishing in front of The People's Institute, which is the beneficiary of the race proceeds. This is the same route the race has used since its inception, and the route the Hot Chocolate Run used prior to this year. But with one notable exception: this course is a certified 5k course, which means it has been properly measured to ensure that it is, indeed, five kilometers. Now, the certified course is actually about 100 yards longer than the uncertified courses used in years past (the starting line is pushed back to make up the difference.) That means it'll be a real challenge to see if I can beat my personal best, which isn't really a personal best because it wasn't on a full five k course. Which means I've never run a full five k race, since every five k I've done has been on this course, with the exception of this year's Hot Chocolate Run which I walked with my five-year-old son.

It's enough to make a man groan.

If you're up to the challenge, you can register on the morning of the race at PI.