Running SUCKS....Until It Doesn't

Running is hard, folks. 

I have always been intimidated by runners...and honestly, running was never much fun for me. Apparently, I was doing it all wrong. I guess my ancestors missed "Running Instinct" day or something. It's a miracle they survived the dinosaurs...

SO - I started Running 101, sponsored by Valley Running Company, on January 5th. Joining 101 was (is) one of the best decisions I have ever made. The people involved - coaches and runners both - are amazing. Running with a group makes a huge difference. Who knew?

Out of respect for the coaches I won't post any workout secrets here...but I will say this: when we began on January 5, I could not run for one minute without feeling like I was going to die. Here's the funny thing - I'd been doing spinning and elliptical workouts like mad since October and had dropped about 20 lbs, and I was STILL struggling.

Save yourselves!

By the end of the session (early April), I had shaved a minute off of my mile time and could run 45-50 minutes nonstop. I'm slow, but I'm steady. People still pass me - a lot - but at least I'm not last anymore.

 
The summer session began on April 27. The Saturday prior, I ran my first 5K race without stopping. That was pretty cool. I'm not the fittest, or the thinnest, or the fastest...but I don't care.

I'm a runner...finally...and it feels pretty dang good. Running did suck at first...but now, even on the days when my legs feel like they each weigh 100lbs, it doesn't. That's pretty cool, too.

So...what happens now? I have reached my goal and have run several 5Ks nonstop, and now I'm training for a 10K, which I will run in June. I may have to do intervals to get through it, but that doesn't matter. I'm not about speed right now, I just want to finish the race. All of them.