Couch To 5K

I can run five minutes straight! This may not seem like a big deal. Shoot, running a 5K (which is 3.1 miles) may not seem like a big deal. But for someone who is "not a runner," five minutes is a big deal. I owe my motivation to my wonderful coworker and friend, Emily, who began the C25K challenge with me four weeks ago. She is now doing a more amazing feat, growing a baby. But without her inspiration, I probably would have called it quits.

I'm glad I didn't give up because today I reached a major running milestone. I've heard so many people say that it gets easier, and eventually you can run forever, but i never believed them. I was the A-student who got a C in gym class for walking the track. I was perfectly okay with not being one of those crazy runners, too. You know, the ones with a different color head-to-toe matching spandex running outfit for every day of the week, sweat-bands, tennis-shoes, and all. The people you see on your drive to Starbucks in the wee hours of the morning running in the rain or wind. But when Emily told me about the Couch to 5k challenge, I thought, "even I can do that." The first week starts out with alternating 90 second walks and runs. Anyone can run 90 seconds, even if you're going slower than a fat goose. I'm talking 15 minute miles...

The Goose Won

Side-note: We are so lucky to be 'runners' in Arizona. Today was sunny and 75, like the country song. Kudos to those posting on Instagram running with snow on the ground. Brrr.

The weeks get progressively harder, but even for someone who never runs, the challenge is completely doable. I mean, there have been some curse words, but it's doable none-the-less. Week four is almost over and the longest consecutive run is 5 minutes. The hardest part of running for me has been breathing regularly. I got to a point where I stopped running short of the goal because I felt like I couldn't catch my breath. I've improved a little since then by being conscious of taking regular breaths every third stride, but it's not perfect yet. At the end of today's run though, I felt really good. Stronger, a little sore, and full of energy. And you know what? Those five minutes flew by.

XO,
-H