Try a Race

OK, so your goal is to lose weight, why on earth would I suggest that you try a race? Road races today are not the super competitive events of 20 or more years ago. Many people enter road races to walk them. A few races have "no walker" policies (but often provide a health walk as an alternative). One of my favorite races has this type of setup - the Utica Boilermaker (www.boilermaker.com) in Utica, NY. They offer a walk on the day prior and encourage you to volunteer at or cheer for the racers in the main event the next morning.

Choosing a race that's friendly to walkers (or slower runners) gives you a goal to aim for, thus encouraging you to work at progressing. It can be a fun social activity at which you'll meet other walkers from your area. If you want to find races in your area, check at your local running store, the website of your local club (find it by visiting www.usatf.org or www.rrca.org), or one of the national sites like www.active.com or www.coolrunning.com or www.runningnetwork.com. Note that the more local sites are generally more complete than national sites. You'll also find some fine regional sites like: www.racepacket.com, www.raceforum.com, www.hitekracing.com, etc. Go to a race, if you want to see what the experience is like, but don't want to participate, most races are glad to have volunteers (and the racers appreciate you being out there whether you're passing out water or ade or just cheering them on).

Check it out, it can be fun.