A friend in Israel told me about this event, runners from all over the world would be participating in this, the largest 10k race in history. It was scheduled to be run on the same day in several major cities and if you couldn't get to a major city you could run on your own and post your results. It would be a way to join my friend in a race even though we live half a world away from each other.
After I signed up my wife thought that we should do more activities together so she decided to join me. We planed to walk together and although we didn't do any training before the event, we went with the Nike motto: Just do it.
We did it and lots of other people also walked it, though many of those were probably pooped out runners. We were happy just to be out there and complete the course. I'm so proud of Rosie for being such a good sport.
What really mattered here was doing something that is within our capability and have fun so we'd want to do it again. When I ran the L.A. Marathon in 1993 it took me 13 years before I forgot about the pain and to try it again. For most people running a marathon takes to much of a time, mental and physical commitiment. However, there usually lots of 5k and 10k "fun runs" that welcome walkers. Of course you've got to be in shape and the best way to prepare is to get at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise, like walking or biking, three or more times per week.
I know this sounds entirely unscientific and it won't put you on the winner's podium, but believe me you'll feel great and who knows, maybe your cholesterol level will fall and you'll drop a few pounds too.
