Dawn Does... a 5k

Yep, I jogged a 5k in June. In fact, I took part in Neon Glow for Pride up in Portland. Neon clothes, glow sticks and all kinds of rainbows were prominent for the evening jog, plus fun music playing to keep everyone energized.

Picture:

Sorry, just my shoes. hehe I'm still on a no online posts rule for pictures of me but I am taking progress photos.


I had the neon shoes as those happen to be the running shoes I got from the store. Worked out well. I also had a neon yellow shirt I got on clearance and blue/yellow neon shorts. It ended up colder than I had quite expected, so I was glad that I had knee-hi socks on that evening.

Prior to the event, I spent months training using Couch to 5k. It is a great program for anyone who wants to start running. Before that I just did walking with short bits of running (for about a 3 minute song and worked up to a one interval middle of my walk on treadmill at 8 minutes). I did all of the C25k ones outside and still prefer to do my jogs out at the park or even around the neighborhood. I did find the program helped me to be able to jog a whole 30 minutes without stopping but that wasn't 5k for my short stride and slow speed. I had weeks before the event when I made it to the end, so I just kept the same schedule and increased my time each week. I ended up able to jog 40 minutes without stopping not long before my scheduled 5k, which worked out to be enough time for me.

In June, I jogged the whole 5k at the event, which was my goal. It wasn't timed so I don't know how long it took me but I wasn't near last and had fun cheering the others as they made it to the finish line.


I have 2 more 5k events coming up. One is a bubble/color run and the other is a hero run, so I'm needing to work on my costume for that. I'm also training for a 10k to help me get some distance and used to running as I'm still a beginner in order to get better at the 5k distance. I am signed up for a 10k at the end of October, which will be costume related and fun as well.

While I still prefer lifting compared to running, I'm enjoying the process and look forward to reaching more milestones in fitness.

C is for Clothing

Day 3 and still going strong. Check out A to Z challenge participants for more blogs.

Today, I'm going to talk about clothes for both fiction and fitness but I'm going to start with the fiction side this time. A little while ago, I wrote a newsletter for a writing web site where I talked about fantasy and clothing. While it may not always be needed in detail, there are times for story, world and character where a mention of clothes can make a big difference.

Fiction

What do your characters wear? Is it really that important? It can, at times, be an overwritten details. Too much about the clothes will come off as unnecessary and probably bore the reader who doesn’t care about such information. But when building worlds or even doing some of the writing it helps to have a general idea of the fashion in your fantasy story. I don’t do the minor details well, let along think to put much about what the characters are actually wearing at times, but it’s something I’m going to work on as I have a few novels where for a couple scenes that information is important. Instead, let’s look at how a published story used fashion.

In book 2 of the Wheel of Time series, The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan, there is a part near the beginning where it talks about the clothes Rand has been given to wear. It’s a long fantasy series, so at times certain aspects are explained, but this part in particular stands out not just because it manages to show aspects of the world, internal conflict in the point of view character and creates conflict with others as well. It's just clothes but that little change in how Rand had to dress made a change and the discomfort is something that was able to show through its use.

Clothing can be quite important in the right scene. There are many things that fashion can show in a story, whether it’s for an individual character or to show the entire culture of a community. Granted, we don’t want every detail described, nor do we need to know the clothing every single place and character involved. It’s one factor where you have to decide what is best for the story each time.

Fitness

Clothing is also important for fitness. I've also found that the type of athletic gear will vary on personal taste along with the different types of activities. I have found that the same shorts/capris do not work well for both jogging and lifting. If the shorts material is the less flexible material, they can be okay for jogging but I have found they are not the best for squatting because they get too tight around the thighs.

Many wear leggings, at least females though there are guys who wear them too or tight like items but some wear shorts over them. I am not at the level of comfort in body shape yet to wear tight pants and tight shirt that shows all the curves. Plus, it seems kind of like it would get hot. I am looking forward to lifting more in shorts now that it's getting warmer. 

On the other hand, if something is too loose, I have found that is not good for jogging. It's a pain to have to pull up your pants or shorts every couple of minutes. Not easy finding the right middle ground and on a low budget at that. And that's just the bottom half. One has to also consider shirts, what covers the stomach and keeps it covered, what doesn't show cleavage, and the list goes on and on.

Also, I need more pockets! There are far too many shorts, capris and pants that lack pockets, from my experience. Sure, my little ipod holders have a spot for a key (even though they are both getting worn out from all the use already) but my car key is way too big. I end up linking my locker key or put my car key in my sports bra when out at the park because not enough of my fitness clothing has pockets. I don't have one of those weird flip fanny belt things either, though I will look at them maybe in the future as an option but overall, I like pockets (work pants need pockets too by the way).

So, summary. Clothing is important in fitness. :-)

When do you mention clothes in fiction? What type of clothes do you like to wear for fitness activities?