Bitten by the wellness bug

I am not a runner. I do not like to run. I'm even weary about walking sometimes because I'm a klutz and am known to randomly fall at the drop of a hat. (Believe me this is not an exaggeration, I have witnesses.) Yet, I am going to participate in a 5K run and walk.

Buy this photo

And I don't mean "participate" by handing out flyers, putting it in the paper for others to see or setting up a booth. I mean I'm going to train at least three days a week to get ready for the Teens Aware of Christ Runnin' With the Lord 5K run and walk.

For those of who know me I'll repeat this again, I'm going to walk or run (let's be honest, I'm going to walk 99.9 percent of it) in a 5K event May 16.

How did this crazy idea come about? Well, simply put, I'm almost 25 and need to get in a healthier state before it's too late. Also, after finding out that 5 kilometers is only about 3 miles, I figured I can do that, even if I walk the whole thing. Plus this will give me the opportunity to test myself to see if I can commit to training and actually go through with it.

I have had a few setbacks, though. For one, I almost lost my nerve while plotting my 3-mile route. Three miles looks a lot longer when you have it mapped out than it does in your head. So I took a deep breath and came up with a plan. I've broken the route into three levels - the first is a mile long, the second is 2 miles and the third is the full 3-mile route.

I've talked my boyfriend and mom into doing the 5K with me. So to help them, I figured I'd give them a little advice and tell them to start training now also. Yeah, that was a lost cause because little did I know my mom already walks about 4 miles twice a week, so by the time May 16 hits, she may be leaving me in her dust trail. So Mom, be nice to your daughter and don't leave me behind, OK?

I've been training for a couple of weeks now and so far so good. After walking the first level for three nights it didn't feel too bad. I was actually pretty energetic after walking. I was pretty impressed that I could walk and talk on my cell phone without injuring myself.

Another reason I decided to do this is because many of my co-workers have expressed an interest in getting healthier and with the Wellness 2009 program in full swing, it's motivated us here at The News. Several of us met at the Windy Creek Trail last week and walked the length of the trail. While we are all on different fitness levels, we all had at least one other person to walk with. I also think everyone had a good time and I'm looking forward to other events we have planned and hope to get more News employees involved.

Speaking of Wellness 2009, I had the opportunity to go to the first meeting and several community members showed up to take advantage of free mini classes, including kick-boxing, step class and yoga. It was nice to see a large number of people trying out different fitness routines and if I hadn't been taking photos, I would have joined in.

Hopefully after all is said and done, we'll all be a little healthier by the time 2009 wraps up.