My Quest to the 5k

This is me and my friend Joe at the Napa Valley 5k a couple of years ago. We ran the 5k early one brisk March morning after two bottles of wine the night before. Not quite the sign of serious runners, but we did have a lot of fun after the initial shock of actually running the distance wore off.

We always have friendly 'wagers' - whether it's fishing, golfing, running - whatever. The prize is usually just bragging rights and a good bottle of wine (win-win situation). Sometimes I even let him think he wins.

It's a new year, however, and the new year is bringing new challenges - like more 5k's. My bigger challenge, however, is my love of red wine. You can't really make a habit of consuming red wine on a daily basis and transform yourself into a lean, mean 5k running machine all at the same time. When you see runners who are committed, they are usually very fit - eat lots of healthy foods, drink plenty of water, you know, treat their bodies like a temple. I treat mine more like a tent. So, change is necessary, hence the quest. But I am up to this challenge.

What I'm armed with:

• My iPod
• Nike+ shoes and sensor
• Podrunner podcast
• The BodyBugg (a little device that tells you how many calories you burn)
• Kooper - my training partner
• A very bad attitude

I have a heart rate monitor somewhere that I should probably strap on to warn me before I pass out, but I'm afraid with all the other gadgets I might short circuit. In any event, consider me...... in training. Goal 5k #1 is going to be the Shamrock Run in Portland. Watch out Joe.