A Bit of History

Last week was my first week of becoming a runner. I have been changing how I live my life to be more healthy since January of 2009. There have been a series of changes I've made, but none have included much activity yet. I have lost a bit over 30 lbs through changing my diet since that time. I kept saying I'd add exercise to my plan, but I'll be honest -- I hate exercising.

Then someone suggested I set a goal in order to stay motivated. So I signed up for a 5K walk in April. This was the first actual event I've signed up for in my life, and I'm 31. (I haven't been much into exercise since I played volleyball and softball in high school... so it's been a while.) I sort of forgot that I had signed up for it, but once I remembered I thought, "Oh crap, I had better make sure I can walk that far before I start!" That actually got me to the gym.

I started off walking a mile. Then got up to 2 miles at about 3 mph which left me breathless and very sweaty. Then a week before the race, I walked the 5K on the treadmill at 3.2 mph on a slight incline. I was tired, but I made it. I knew I'd be able to do the walk.

The next weekend I walked the 5K. I was there with my dad and husband who walked it with me. I was SO PROUD of the tshirt I got and crossing the finish line. I even took photos. But it struck me that I felt a little jealous of the runners. They got cool numbers to pin to their shirts. They finished it faster. And they were actually competing. Not only that, but a friend of mine was amongst them, and she had never been a runner before. How did she become one? The Couch to 5K program. That was enough to get me interested.

So, the week after that 5K walk, I decided to start the program. Here I am.