How well do people support non-profit organizations in Cheyenne? Based upon all of the people who came out this morning for the 5-K or 10-K, I would say the community is quite supportive.
As I mentioned in my previous post, this was my first 5-K ever. There were seven people in my age division. I came in last. That is okay. (Read the previous post to understand the perspective.) I only had two goals for this morning. (1) Finish the course. (2) If I was successful at goal number one, I wanted to finish in less than an hour. That would require me to keep a pace of 20 minutes per mile. I figured I could walk it that fast. I was successful at reaching both goals. I completed the 5-K in a little over 56 minutes. (That included stopping to take photos a couple of times.)
I want to walk down memory lane for just a moment back to when I was playing basketball at Northeast Missouri State University (now Truman State University) in Kirksville, Missouri. Preseason conditioning went from mid-September through October 15. The October date was the official start of the season when we could actually practice without violating NCAA rules. Prior to that, it was all conditioning.
The expectations were simple. We had a track that was one quarter of a mile. We were to run one lap and then walk a lap. We would then run two laps (1/2 mile) and walk one lap. We would then run three laps (3/4 mile) and walk one lap. Finally, we ran a mile (4 laps) and then I typically collapsed. I signed up for basketball, not track. Ugh.
On the last day of preseason conditioning, we would only run one mile, and it was timed. We were supposed to complete it in less than 5 minutes and 30 seconds. Yeah right. Good one. My sophomore year I was close to the seven minute mark. My junior year I came in at 6:05. I was still a long way from 5:30, but I significantly improved. My personal goal for my senior year was to come in at less than six minutes. Wow! My strength and endurance had improved enough that I ran the mile in 5 minutes and 26 seconds. (Those days were to never be seen again.)
So it may appear that a 20 minute mile pace for three miles was a pretty lame goal for today. That's okay. I did it and maintained an average heart rate of 101 beats per minute. Even when I jogged part of it, I kept my heart rate at 116 or lower. The key here was not to have a heart attack or stroke. Win!
My son did not want to go at the leisurely pace I was pursuing. Thus, he finished significantly ahead of me. However, my daughter stayed with me through the race. I think she was the official person to dial 911 if needed. We stopped to help a couple who were trying to take a selfie in front of one of the landmarks along the way. Maria took the photo for them. She took photos of me when we were crossing the viaduct over the railroad yard. It slowed our time, but without photos and a blog, can we prove that anything really happened this morning?
As I mentioned in my previous post, this was my first 5-K ever. There were seven people in my age division. I came in last. That is okay. (Read the previous post to understand the perspective.) I only had two goals for this morning. (1) Finish the course. (2) If I was successful at goal number one, I wanted to finish in less than an hour. That would require me to keep a pace of 20 minutes per mile. I figured I could walk it that fast. I was successful at reaching both goals. I completed the 5-K in a little over 56 minutes. (That included stopping to take photos a couple of times.)
I want to walk down memory lane for just a moment back to when I was playing basketball at Northeast Missouri State University (now Truman State University) in Kirksville, Missouri. Preseason conditioning went from mid-September through October 15. The October date was the official start of the season when we could actually practice without violating NCAA rules. Prior to that, it was all conditioning.
The expectations were simple. We had a track that was one quarter of a mile. We were to run one lap and then walk a lap. We would then run two laps (1/2 mile) and walk one lap. We would then run three laps (3/4 mile) and walk one lap. Finally, we ran a mile (4 laps) and then I typically collapsed. I signed up for basketball, not track. Ugh.
On the last day of preseason conditioning, we would only run one mile, and it was timed. We were supposed to complete it in less than 5 minutes and 30 seconds. Yeah right. Good one. My sophomore year I was close to the seven minute mark. My junior year I came in at 6:05. I was still a long way from 5:30, but I significantly improved. My personal goal for my senior year was to come in at less than six minutes. Wow! My strength and endurance had improved enough that I ran the mile in 5 minutes and 26 seconds. (Those days were to never be seen again.)
So it may appear that a 20 minute mile pace for three miles was a pretty lame goal for today. That's okay. I did it and maintained an average heart rate of 101 beats per minute. Even when I jogged part of it, I kept my heart rate at 116 or lower. The key here was not to have a heart attack or stroke. Win!
My son did not want to go at the leisurely pace I was pursuing. Thus, he finished significantly ahead of me. However, my daughter stayed with me through the race. I think she was the official person to dial 911 if needed. We stopped to help a couple who were trying to take a selfie in front of one of the landmarks along the way. Maria took the photo for them. She took photos of me when we were crossing the viaduct over the railroad yard. It slowed our time, but without photos and a blog, can we prove that anything really happened this morning?
I have passed over this viaduct thousands of times in a car (twice a day for five days a week for eight years). Today was the first time I ever went across on foot.
The back of the T-Shirt tells the story.
What did I do after the 5-K? We had breakfast and rested a little bit. Then I tackled part of a mowing project that my daughter had. Even after all that activity, I still had only completed 8,230 steps for the morning.
What did I learn from today's experience? I need to stay active. I need a goal. I have one bucket list item that I need to revisit. I want to go to St. Lucia and climb Gros Piton. It would not be an easy climb for me, but I think if I would get in better shape I could do it. Starting at sea level would also be easier than climbing at 6,000 feet and above. If I can make that a reality, we will definitely take photos during the climb.
Have a safe and blessed holiday weekend!
Have a safe and blessed holiday weekend!
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