Is there a 5K in your future? How to prepare

Last year at this time, I started training for my first 5K. I worked out indoors all winter (my asthma keeps me from jogging outside when it's cold) and in the spring I hit the pavement. Determined to teach myself to run, I shrugged off my marathon-running husband's advice, strapped on my running shoes, and went flat out. In three days time, I had shin splints and blisters and didn't care if I ever ran again. When I recovered, I turned to the Couch-to-5K Running Plan. Once I realized that I really didn't have to run every day and that 20 minutes a day was really enough to start with, I found that I really enjoyed the sport. I looked forward to my daily run and soon my canine running partner and I were shaping up.

Then I plateaued, got frustrated, and quit. When race day came around, I felt horrible that I'd let my goal slip away. So this winter, I'm at it again. I've started my indoor workouts and am looking forward to the first 50 degree day so that I can take my dog, my mp3 player, and feel my feet hitting the pavement. Watching me from afar it certainly doesn't look that way, but running made me feel like I was flying. I loved it.

Setting a goal for yourself -- like a 5K race -- can be a great motivational tool. Whether you're looking to learn a new sport, lose weight, or just improve your fitness, it helps to form short-term goals as well as a bigger, long-term goal to work toward. A 5K race isn't too long, making it an attainable goal even if you've never run before. If you're thinking of picking up running, read this article first. It's got a ton of valuable information about how to train (including a schedule), what to eat, and how to prepare for race day. I'm doing it this year. I'll let you know when I cross the finish line.