My Walking Challenge of 2013

"Shoes and Fruit" obtained 2/6/2013 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoes 

Time and time again for the past few years, I notice friends participating in runs, walks, and marathons. Not for competition's sake, but to be proud of themselves for completing such a feat. And many times portions of the registration fees go towards a charity like Breast Cancer Awareness. Every time I hear of people participating in a run, I think about how I should do one myself. But sadly I admit that I never have. One of my friends in particular (Lynsey) who has done a few of these events every year, has challenged herself to complete 12 of these "runs" by the end of the year.

While I myself have never done a single run, I think challenging myself to 12 is a bit excessive to begin with. After all, I need to establish a cardio routine first. But I will challenge myself to do at least one this year. And before I do that, I want to get into the habit of walking/running once but hopefully twice a week. I used to walk the Blackwater trail nearby, whether alone or with friends. And that's a good habit I'd like to re-establish. I also want to buy a new pair of sneakers before this run: 1) I will definitely be needing the foot support with all of these walks and the actual big event, and 2) I rarely buy myself sneakers because I always find other more "useful" ways to spend our money. But I should take care of my feet, and by getting into a regular walking schedule and participating in a large event I will be taking care of my body as well.

A side topic would be why has it only been in the last few years that I have heard of people running 5Ks, participating in Breast Cancer Awareness walks, etc? There have been significant changes, but do they correlate with one another, or is it just coincidence? I attended and graduated from a college in Jacksonville, where the city is so big and traffic is heavy that you want to drive most places. Most of my friends lived in dorms and our "walking" was going back and forth across the campus and climbing lots of stairs. Those stairs did me some good!! We moved to the Pensacola area, our first child was born about 2 weeks later, and since then my days have been filled with parenting and housework mostly. Most of my friends here are mothers as well. Our bodies go through many changes (often back and forth, gaining and losing weight). Is it just an increase in health awareness nationwide? Is it that I hear of 5K runs more prominently in Pensacola than I did in Jacksonville -- does Pensacola HOST more events than Jacksonville? Is it brought more to my attention now that I am a mother and subsequently weigh more than I did in college? Could it be that my mind is not focused on class, essays, and exams that I pay more attention to local events? Regardless of the answer, I am glad that I have SOOO many friends that participate in these events. It gives me a little nudge, and encourages me that I won't have to attempt walking and running for miles in a crowd full of people while feeling so alone. Now if only I could get Brian to join me. That's another topic and another goal for another year.

Have you ever done a walking/running event? Do you have a regular walking or running routine? Is it indoors or outdoors? Would you be interested in joining me at the trail or perhaps at the local Navy fitness center to work on cardio? And a BIG question: do you know of a walk/run event in town that we could do together?

Until next time, 
Amy