Sunday, April 27, 2008

First Group Run with Get Fit Atlanta

As I look at my numbers for the week I feel like I didn't get enough running in; I think will blame tennis this past week as it seems I had a lot more matches than usual. Thankfully, a few of the tennis leagues are wrapping up. I am officially in six leagues right now which is excessive by anyone's standards. One of them ended last week with the loss in the playoffs, another ends Sunday and another ends May 11th or sooner if I get knocked out of the playoffs.

Friday ended up being a day of rest. ahhhhh!

Saturday I got up at 6:30 to meet my group from Get Fit Atlanta for our first official group run. There were probably about 15 people there and two others in my time group. That was the first time I ran with other people that I knew so it was a new experience to have conversations as you are running. They discourage the use of Ipods for safety and thought they might have to pry it from my cold dead hand (to borrow a phrase from Charleton Heston) but it really was not bad. We ran 5 miles (or so we think, at some point we got off the official map and were relying on a wristwatch GPS device to figure out our distance). The run started out of the Wal Mart on Pleasant Hill and then over to Shorty Howell Park. They have several loops within the park, some woodchip trails and some paved. It should be nice in the summer to run there in the shade on the woodchip trail.

After the run, they had a speaker from "krav maga" which is a form of martial arts. The discussion was on safety while you are running. Tips like if you do run alone, make sure someone knows where you are going and when you are coming back and then call that person when you do get back. They also discouraged the use of ipods while running so that you are more aware of your surroundings. It was an informative session ending in everyone getting to practice choking their partners and the other breaking the chokehold. Nothing like choking someone you just met to break the ice :)

Side note, I was told the registration for the Chicago Marathon capped out last week so good thing I signed up when I did!

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