While my loss for this week was a little less than overwhelming, I sure had a good time doing my first 5k event. My loss for the week is 1.6 lbs.. After a 4 lb. loss last week, I was hoping to break the 70 lb. mark, but was .4 lbs. shy. I'm ok with that. It seems to be cyclical. I always seem to have a smaller loss after a big drop like that. What I'm really most stoked about is the fact that I was able to complete a 5k run/walk (mine was definitely a walk) and felt great doing it. This would not have been even a serious thought this time last year. But, my journey to reclaim my health and life has brought me to the place where I can do it and will again.
Our group at the end
The day began very early. We were to meet the other members of our team (the splatters) at 6 am. After meeting them we headed for Hershey (yes that Hershey I live about 15 miles from there) to The Color Run. This event is amazingly well organized and run. They had 10,000 participants plus spectators and there were adequate bathroom facilities as well as medical aid (when you're at my age and advanced weight you check on these things) and lots of things to keep you occupied until "start" time. It's billed as "the Happiest 5k on the Planet" and I think they pretty much hit their mark. There was a stage with music and warm-up exercises and give-aways (I got a t-shirt and an arm warmer--whatever that is).
Me, Wife, Daughter
obviously before as we
are still clean
Because there were 10,000 participants they start them in waves. About 20 minutes to start time (8 am) we moved to the starting area so that we could be in the first wave. I thought that would be a good idea as it would almost guarantee that I wouldn't be the last to cross the finish line. There were 9 in our group which included one 6 yr. old. Talk about energy! He put us all to shame. We were fortunate enough to be very close to the front at the beginning. It was runners to the right of the path and walkers to the left. It was a cross country type course starting out along a road for the first 1/2 mile or so then heading out on paths that were gravel, grass and dirt. It was a lot of up hill and down, winding through the area near a golf course. Every so often there was a "color station" where participants were hit with colored powder. I must say that by the end of the course I was rather colorful indeed. There were also water stations and bathrooms (porta-potties) along the way. It took our group roughly an hour to complete the course. Not bad for a fat old guy like me. Then there was the after-party. The participants gather back at the stage area for music and dancing and a whole lot more "color".
Me at the after-party
I must tell you that for an old man of 56 (next week), I enjoyed the loud music, beach balls and dancing. While well colored by the end of the course, I was absolutely crusty with colored powder by the time we decided to leave the party. 5k equals about 3.1 miles so I got some great exercise in doing the course. I can only guess at how much more energy we expended jumping around at the party afterward. It's not the sort of thing I would want to do every weekend, but it was a great day and we had a great time. I think we will be signing up again next year. I might even be inspired to jog part of it if my knees hold out.
This coming week I am going to start some circuit training. I'm hoping that it would help me build lost strength and also increase the calorie burn. I'm finding that cardio alone is really becoming boring and I want to change up and do something different. I will still include cardio in my exercise, but I want to start working on getting a little more solid as well. I'm starting to sag a bit and adding some muscle tone will help a bit, although I am not looking to bulk up. I'm dreading the first couple of weeks. I remember the muscle soreness that comes with starting any kind of lifting program, but I know it will pay off in the long run.
Until next week my friends, here are some more pics and one brief video from the Color Run. Enjoy!
Before
After
Me, my wife and daughter along the course. Note all the white shirts in the
background... Those are all runners on the course.
Posts
