Ghostly Gallop

I ran my first virtual 5K race today.  No, I didn't jog on the spot with a Wii remote in my pocket while my Mii went for a run around Wuhu Island.   A virtual race is an organized race that doesn't have a specific location.  People all around the world can participate by simply running the required distance on their own and then reporting back their results to the race organizers

A lot of virtual runs are done as fundraisers for various causes, or some are held to get online groups of people together, like the one I did today.  Organized by the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans, it allowed all of us who are members of their forum to participate in the run "together".  We even get a t-shirt and a finishers medal (I'm guessing mine is held up in customs and will  hopefully arrive this week).

So I laced up and ran 5K today. I never really believed people when they said that running was more mental than it was physical. I understood it today when after only 4 minutes of running I had to convince myself that I didn't actually need to walk and that I could push through it.  Running Andy overcame Lazy Andy and I managed to run the full 5K without walking at all.  I've only just started being able to do that, and it really is a great feeling of accomplishment.

Out of breath!

One of my better times, though I would really like to get below 40 just once!

Create Maps or search from 80 million at MapMyRun

I've mapped out a 5K route in my neighbourhood that is easy to remember and doesn't really have any hills.  I'm not ready for hills yet.

I have one more virtual run planned for November and then I think I'll be waiting (and training) for the spring race season to start.