Twenty minutes and thirty-six seconds. That’s the fastest I’ve ever run a 5K race. This “achievement” occurred in the spring or summer of 1983 when I was 34 years old. The race started at Westerville South High School, wound through local neighborhoods, and concluded back at the high school. I remember doing my utmost to stay close to the leaders, keeping them in view for as long as possible. I remember finishing the first two miles in 12:19, almost a 6-minute/mile pace. Unfortunately, I couldn’t sustain that speed for the last 1.1 miles and finished at 20:36, long after the race leaders had crossed the finish line. I wasn’t even that close to the third-place winner in my age group, who ran the race about two minutes faster than I.  Still, my 20:36 represented a personal best, which I never came close to matching in later 5Ks.

During the height of my competitive running career, a 5K was hardly worth my time; I much preferred races of 10K or farther. But now, finishing a 5K seems like a challenging goal; one that is at the very edge of my physical abilities. But that is the physical fitness goal I have set for myself in 2023.

Two things must be accomplished before that goal can be reached. First, I must find a 5K race that has an easy course and that is close to home. When I say, an “easy course” I mean one that has few if any hills. Even when I was in top physical shape, hills were never a welcome sight. They are even less so now that I am past 70. I also see no point in going far from home, when the central Ohio area has a number of 5Ks on tap for the coming months. Three in particular look promising: Run with Passion, Glacier Ridge Metro Park, Dublin (June 3); No Grad Left Behind Race at Creekside Park in Gahanna (June 10); and Hilltop USA in West Columbus (July 1). I will most likely participate in just one of these races. That will be enough of a challenge for my aging body.

That brings me to the second thing I must accomplish before running a 5K. I must improve my physical conditioning. As much as anything, that will mean losing weight, 10 pounds at a minimum. That, in turn, will almost certainly require me to go on a diet. I’ve already discovered that just exercising regularly is not enough to keep my weight in check. Cutting out between-meal snacks will probably help but something more drastic may ultimately be needed, too. Pizza, ice cream, pancakes, and other tempting foods may have to be avoided for awhile.

One thing I may do is hire a trainer at some point. When there is someone to whom I am accountable for my progress, I am inclined to be harder on myself and not cut corners. A trainer might also give me some guidance for staying in shape after the race is over.

In conclusion, I should emphasize that my goal is only to finish the 5K. I don’t have a goal as far as how fast I complete the race, but I do want to finish before the race organizers close the course. And, above all, I want to finish standing up without some injury that requires medical attention. Future blogs on this website will focus on my preparation toward meeting the 5K Challenge.