Runners at this morning's 5K Fun Run/1-Mile Walk

I’ve finally gotten geeky enough to own–and use–a really accurate pedometer.  And I was extremely eager to finally get the answer.  My excitement was stoked by the announcement of the first AGU 5K Fun Run/1-Mile Walk.

I’m a major walker.  This past summer, AGU headquarters staff had a “get healthy” walking competition.  I came in third, logging 410 miles in 10 weeks.  And I regularly log 35 miles every week.

I arrived in San Francisco Saturday night, with my meetings starting on Sunday.  Between Sunday and Tuesday–before the Fun Run/Walk even began–I had logged 20.2 miles. Tuesday’s contribution to that total was a whopping 9.43 miles, thanks to multiple trips between the two Moscone venues and several trips between Moscone and the Marriott…. Not to mention walking to Chinatown and back in the evening.

More than 300 geoscientists registered for the Fun Run/Walk, and we trekked out to the Embarcadero before dawn to start the day right.  It was an enthusiastic group, representing the full spectrum of fitness levels.  There were people who clearly ran many tens of miles a week, people who had just restarted their running habits, those who came to be “game,” some serious walkers, and the casual walkers.

There was a lot of camaraderie on the course–lots of friendly chatter at the start and in the cool-down–except for the pair of geoscientists who were clearly racing to the finish line to see who’d get there first.  (I wonder what they’re like in the lab.)  There was a fairly large spread, given varying speeds.  In addition to water bottles, shoelaces, fruit, and energy bars, participants was rewarded with a beautiful view of San Francisco Bay, the Bay Bridge, fresh air, and the lifting fog transitioning to daylight.

Thanks to this morning’s walk, before I hit a session I’d already logged 5.5 miles today.

I’m keeping the pedometer on the rest of the week….can’t wait to see just how much of a marathon this year’s Fall Meeting will turn out to be!

–Barb Richman, Eos Editor in Chief