If someone had told me a year ago that I would be able to run 3.1 miles (5K) without stopping, I probably would have laughed. I did not run track in high school and I did not play any sports that required an extended amount of time running (like soccer). I always thought that I would never be able to build up the lung capacity to run more than a quarter mile at a time. I have always loved to take walks outdoors and get fresh air but never attempted to train my body to run.
I have many friends that really enjoy running and last year I decided if all these people could do it without feeling like they were dying, then so could I. Some of my friends are marathon and half marathon runners so 3 miles is nowhere near impressive compared to those distances. But to me 3 miles seemed like an impossible goal.
Last May, my husband and I participated in our annual neighborhood yard sale. A couple we are good friends with (John & Kim) joined in and we had a joint yard sale. During that day, while we were sitting there between rushes of customers, we all decided that we were going to train and do the Black Cat Chase in October together. Jordan and I went that week and were fitted for running shoes and started working toward our goal.
We used the app on our phones called Couch-to-5K by The Active Network. I really enjoyed this app because it has a seamless transition between the music on your phone and the trainer's voice. This app follows the standard couch to 5K schedule that can be found online.
I was able to complete the entire schedule without stopping or going back to repeat runs and was ready for the 5K in October. I did run the entire race and my time was around 30 minutes. I was not concerned about how fast I was running but more concerned about running without walking breaks. I was very proud of myself, my husband, John, & Kim for completing the race and I hope to run more races with them in the future!!
Running helped accelerate my weight loss and fitness goals and I don't think I would have lost weight as quickly as I did without running. I encourage anyone who is even a little bit interested in running to give it a try!! If anyone has any questions I would be happy to help or try to direct you to the proper resource for getting an answer!
