A 5K blogger?

Two weeks of regular runs have already come to this: plans to run in a 5K race, which sounds a lot further than the 3.1 miles it actually encompasses (metric system, you will be the death of me). A fellow blogger you know who you are) and I are in negotiations to run (or in my case, plod through the finish line barely able to breathe)

There are a handful of local races through September and October. There's also the Columbus Marathon in October, which will wait a few years while the rest of the toxic junk - and yes, the love handles - to take a permanent vacation.

Luckily, I'm not the foreigner to running I like to think I am. Despite riding the bike heavily since 2003, I have run for regular stretches throughout the Double Aughts, primarily on treadmills at the gym or in the 'rents' basement. Running on the street is new, but not the actual exercise.

So now the course is set. No more smoking, lots of water and Gatorade following the daily jog. The nice thing about running where I live is the daily route grows easily. The streets fall into a rough grid, so each day I add a few blocks. As long as I don't wind up collapsing on the added street.

After all of yesterday's huffing and puffing for a 20-minute jog through the neighborhood, I'll need every day and every breath to prepare...