Monday, April 8, 2019

Wharf to Wharf, here I come!


Pierini Fitness has a few 2019 fitness goals that he hasn’t shared here before. One goal is to resurrect my “career” as a fun runner and enter a 10k running event sometime this year.  I’d like to finish the run at a 9-minute mile pace and will be training with this goal in mind.  It’s a much slower pace than the 7:10 to 7:15 mile pace I used to run 20 years ago.

Now that I’m leaner and meaner, running as a fitness activity is on the table and my knees don’t hurt when I run. 

My history as a fun runner is loaded with memories that’ll always be mine to cherish with the best ones dating back to over 20 years ago.  This was when my son and I would enter fun runs together.  He was an accomplished high school cross country and track runner and I was just a tag-along father trying, to the best of my abilities, to be half the runner he was.

Probably my favorite memories were the annual and very popular Wharf to Wharf 10k fun run in Santa Cruz, California.  This event gets its name because the course begins at the Santa Cruz Wharf and ends at the, nearby town, Capitola Wharf.  It’s a great running course with refreshing views and an ocean mist to keep everyone cool and comfortable.

When searching for a fun run to enter, this one was at the top of my list.  But, because of its popularity, there was no guarantee I’d get to run it.  The good news is I was able to register and get accepted and I’m stoked.  It’ll take place on Sunday, July 28th later this year so I have a little over three and one-half months to get in 9:00 minute mile running shape.  I think I should be able to do this.

Due to current work demands, I’m now only able to run once a week which, lately, has been a 60-minute long and slow run on Sunday at a favorite local park.  But my busy work schedule will soon be coming to an end, and I’ll be able to begin a more structure training effort in about three weeks.  So, this should be plenty of time for me to be fun run race ready, capable of accomplishing my 9-minute mile pace goal.

Stay tuned for more details as I share how goes my fun run training effort, and other details of my continuing middle-aged man fitness, health and wellness journey.

Wharf to Wharf, here I come!

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum

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