I even was a member of my high school's cross country team, but it was only because they needed one more girl on the team to qualify. I never finished a race. SAD painful memories those are...
It's always just plain hurt to run. My knees hurt, my side cramps, I'm panting & hurting & panting & miserable. But for a reason I do not know I still want to be a runner. I think I'm curious as to why some people love it soo much, they talk about this runner's high you get & being 'one with the road'...there's got to be something to it.
My girlfriend Brooke was telling me about this new marathon she's doing & I was like, "geez, that's so awesome! I wish I could run, really I do, but I can't" She suggested I try 'Couch to 5k'. So I took a look, & it actually made a lot of sense.
"Too many people have been turned off of running simply by trying to start off too fast. Their bodies rebel, and they wind up miserable, wondering why anyone would possibly want to do this to themselves.
-from Couch to 5K
I swear that guy somehow wrote that just for me. And it sounds totally doable right? And guess what, today was Day 1 of the program & I. DID. IT. Woohoo! And I didn't hate it! Woohoo woohoo! For week 1 you're doing 5 minutes of walking warm-up, & then intervals of 60 sec running, 90 seconds walking for 20 minutes. Then a 5 min cool-down. I'm not gonna lie to you, my brain started trying to sabotage my run at around the 14min mark but I put on a good song & pushed through it, it was rough for maybe 2 minutes. Which brings me to my next point, if you're still with me, there are 3 things today that made me feel like I could really embrace Couch to 5k...1) Cute new shoes. Ridiculous sounding, I know, but hear me out. My old sneakers were 9 years old which is ridiculous in itself & speaks to my lack of cardio activity. That in itself is enough reason to buy some new ones but also they make these new feather-weight tennis shoes that were SO much easier to run in than my old, clunky, beasts of a sneaker. And yes, they're very very pretty. And this matters to me. It motivates me, & I'm ok with that.
Adidas AdiZero Feather Running Shoe
3) A good playlist. I've got to work on this one because today I just had it on general shuffle & I went from P. Diddy to Baby Genius 'Alphabet Song'. I did find a few good ones though...
La Rissa: I do both Jay & Jane
Diddy: Come to Me
Jerimih: Birthday Sex (remix)
Cool Down Jars of Clay: Love Song for a Savior
So to conclude this marathon of a post (haha, see, 1 run & I'm already cleverer) I want to know 2 things from you...
Are you gonna do it with me & what's your best workout song??
YAY!! I'm so excited for the side blog, you actually inspired me to "TRY" running again, i even went out and bought shoes! This should be exciting to watch the progress and see how i'm matching up. My first run is tonight, thank you so much for doing this!!
ReplyDeleteSo do you recommend the hot pink shoes?? I'm going to attempt to start running. I'm sure I don't have the right shoes.
ReplyDeleteYou have inspired me too. Your description of your running experience was exactly how I would describe my own. I downloaded the app and did my 1st run yesterday. Thanks!
ReplyDelete"More" by Usher and "Blow" by Ke$ha. Yeah, I'm 13. Not answering the "do it with me" part for fear that you're going to try to make me run around in -27 F in January. That trip is not for running, TYVM.
ReplyDelete(It's for chocolate fountain brunch!)
ReplyDeleteThis post also inspired me to get the C25K app--thank you! I have also tried running a few times over the years and just haven't been able to make it stick, but I really want to! I'm excited to see updates on your blog! :)
ReplyDeleteI actually started running right before you posted your first blog! Of course, I quit again after day 2, but I am going to start back this week. Thanks for the app recommendation! Hopefully my new running shoes will inspire me as well. Love the new blog!
ReplyDeleteAWESOME!!! OMG! When I saw this I thought...hmm! I wondered if you were promoting a 5K you will be participating in! EVEN BETTER!!! A RUNNING BLOG! LOVES IT! Well, I am a beginner runner myself. I use to NEVER EVER run. NOT even in high school. I dreaded gym class...especially the long distance running part. I think it's great that you are doing the Couch to 5K. I just started getting into running at the beginning of this year. So far, I did my first 5K in March and then did Warrior Dash (also 5K) in June! I know, what was I thinking!! It totally prepared me though. It kick-started a running regimen for myself because I experience how UNPREPARED I was for both races. I still currently run in my 8 year old New Balance sneakers.I run with my boyfriend now...he was the one who did Cross Country in high school. He makes me do stretches before & after a run and it totally makes a difference. My usual run was on the treadmill for 20 minutes...no stretch. Just walked away thinking "my work here is done!" Stretching really makes a huge difference. For now, I stick to reaching 3 miles. Most days I don't make it...once in a while I will make it and I can't believe it! You picked a great time to start now that the heat is dying down. I prefer to run early in the evening after work because it's much more pleasant with the cloud cover. You get more breeze! Your playlist is great! The best songs I think are the songs they play in the clubs...anything that will get you wanting to move. Anything dance..BRITNEY is what gets me going or FOO FIGHTERS! Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteI have always wanted to run for the longest time...and when i was reading ur post on your other blog it sounded just like me..u were describing me to a t and just recently i have been trying to work my way up to just running a mile..lol!!! but have not had success..so i am soo in this all the way..my only problem is i have a tendency to not finish any so called programs but Im hoping that this is the one that i will actually finish!!:)) I started my first day yesterday and it went pretty good so I am really hopeful!! Hey u should start this group on FB so we can all chat regularly and see how everyone is doing and encourage each other daily to keep us all on track!!! WE can motivate each other just a suggestion;)
ReplyDeleteYou inspired me to start running this week! I'm one workout in on the "Couch to 5k" plan, and am actually looking forward to tomorrow's workout. We'll see if this plan sticks, but so far so good!
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