Hello!!!
For quite some time now I've wanted to be a runner. I've always admired runners for their agility, confidence, perserverance, endurance, and stamina. Unfortunately, I did not grow up an active young lady. My mother isn't active, my sister isn't active...it's just an unfortunate and vicious cycle. It was not until I attended boot camp many many years ago that I first started running. I never got used to running, never enjoyed it, and dreaded our weekly Friday long runs around the installation. It was always mental. I remember running and seeing our housing in the distance and my beginning to "fall out" of the run just because I knew we were back to our starting point. After boot camp, I did not continue running. In hindsight, I surely wish I had, but again, it was not something that I grew up with and upon returning home I returned to my home lifestyle.
I always felt that one had to be born to run. Either born to run or start running at a super young age and therefore running was just a way of life. I've done some running of short distances off and on for some time, then I just stopped completely. Boy, do I wish I hadn't done that. It takes everything in me to run for one minute straight at this point (sounds pitiful, I know). I recently participated in the Army Ten Miler in October and it was such a great experience. I was hesitant, because I signed up in May of this year with the intention of training. And I was training up until May. (I became discouraged and stopped running. Boy do I underestimate my fitness level. I think I'm in terrible shape and then when I start working out/running again I realize how perhaps I was previously in better shape than I gave myself credit for.) Anywho, after some encouraging words from a coworker and friend who knew I'd signed up for the run, I decided to "wing" the ATM and see how it went.
It was sooooo hard. I guess you all are like, "duh!" Who runs 10 miles without training??? Well, I did not run the entire 10 miles of course. I walked the greater half of the last 5 surely, but I did well for the first 5, because we had to be at the 5 mile mark by a certain time or we'd be scooped up and given a ride to the finish line to meet those who'd successfully completed the run. Again, it was hard yet very exciting. All of these people who you don't know were out there cheering for you, running for the troops, running for those we've lost. It's such a special run and I was proud of my decision to participate and I pushed myself through those first 5 miles and I'm proud of myself. My two friends who ran finished waaaaaaaay before I did and it made me want to learn to run; learn to enjoy running. Additionally, I would like to get into shape physically. I have recently gained soooo much weight in addition to not working out consistently and eating a bit more than usual (don't know what that's about) with different taste buds and all that. I have a taste for junk food! What is that about??? Anyway....
I've been reading blogs and doing my research and just pumping myself up mentally. I wanted to find a program that would start me running "from scratch." There are plenty of programs that assume you can already run 3 miles without stopping. I cannot. Okay, I probably could, but I don't want to feel like I'm taking my last breath as I gasp for air. So, I wanted to start from the very beginning. I found a program that seems to be revised, but starts you fairly slow in a book called The Beginning Runner's Handbook: The proven 13 Week Walk-Run Program. You can check it out on Amazon. This a 3 day a week 13 week program. I'm willing to give it a try and optimistically hope that this program makes a runner out of me. This blog is to track my progress and for you guys to hold me accountable for my progress or lack thereof. You can also find the program at http://www.harryphillips.com/, but I suggest buying the book, as it has many good running advice and exerpts from others who have tried this program. The thing I like about the website is that it gives you the percentage of your run to walk ration. The first week you run 33% of the time and walk 67% of the time. Of course the run percentage increases as time goes on.
I started out running one minute and walking to repeatedly. The one minute run was more difficult than I expected, as I was giving it my all. About half of my run is uphill, so I think I get a pass for a challenging one minute run. lol. I will be checking in weekly and hopefully will see some changes in my endurance and body as time goes on.
Encouragement, suggestions, personal experiences is welcomed!
