Seeing the Couch to 5K Challenge Through
If you follow me on Facebook, you probably know that late this summer I started the Couch to 5K running challenge. I wrote here a while ago about how much I've always hated running and found every excuse in the book not to do it.
I don't know why I felt drawn to this challenge, but something told me I needed to find a way to be more active and I was all out of excuses. So, I started. And it was hard. And embarrassing. Even though I was mostly by myself (sometimes my son came with me), I was shocked at how truly out of shape I was. In the early parts of the challenge, you run for 60 seconds and then walk for 60 seconds. I was winded.
But somehow, I kept it up. I think because each week, as the challenge got a little harder and I had to run a little longer, I was doing it. 60 seconds was nothing! Then 90 seconds was nothing. Then what I thought would be truly impossible—5 minutes—was... NOTHING. Eventually I could run close to 40 minutes. And even though I still have those pre-run dreads, when I finish, I feel ALIVE. And proud. And... well... good.
I never intended to do any races or anything like that. I just wanted to reach my goal, and then keep it up. And ok, maybe increase my speed so I wasn't pushing up the road in my old lady shuffle.
But two sweet friends who took up the challenge shortly after I did convinced me to sign up for a local benefit run. It's a great cause. So... I did it.
Here I am with Katy and Amber Wednesday night after we registered for the race:
When we approached the registration table, the woman looked at us and asked, "Are you walkers or runners?"
"Runners," we said.
And it felt GREAT.
We kidded later that she probably took one look at us and was sure we were walkers. :-)
Fred was very kind and blessed our numbers for us.
All week, I've had a sore throat that won't go away. And the morning of the run, I had a horrible headache. But I told myself I was not going to make any excuses. I was determined. Still, I updated my Facebook page, saying how nervous I was.
My friend Sara responded with this:
"You're so ready for this, and you're among other first timers. At the starting line, remember to take a moment and enjoy the experience. It will go by really fast & don't let your nerves take away the experience of enjoying the moment. Once the race starts, run hard & believe in yourself. You're ready for this."
Here we are as we were waiting for the run to start (with thanks to Katy, who I stole all these photos from-thanks Katy!). It was so crowded. There were over 1,300 walkers and runners. You could tell the runners because so many of them were in their fancy running gear. I felt pretty out of place with my cotton leggings from K-mart and my long-sleeve t-shirt. And yes. That is a jacket. ;-)
When it was time to get ready, we all walked out to the road and crowded together like sardines. A band was playing on the flatbed of a truck. And then Zack's dad gave a touching speech about his son. And then we all sang the National Anthem. I took my friend Sara's advice and breathed in the moment. I also squeezed Katy's hand for luck. And then....
We took off!
Only we didn't.
Because there were so many people we had to do a slow walk down the road. Gradually, though, the crowd began to divide between runners and walkers, and pretty soon, we were able to start jogging very slowly. Amber and her gang had managed to get way ahead during the slow part, and then Katy and I divided once we were able to start jogging at our regular paces. We had to dodge our way between walkers and it was pretty challenging. But after a block or so, it got easier.
And then I was on my own. Just jogging along through the usually busy streets of Woodstock. The snow on the roofs sparkled in the sun. It was fun jogging past the walkers and hearing bits of their conversation. I knew I was jogging pretty slowly, but my friend Sara had said just enjoy every moment. And so I did. I was afraid to "run hard", because all through the run I had no idea how far I'd gone or how close I was to the end, and I didn't want to waste all my energy. But finally, a couple on the corner said, "You're three-quarters done! Keep going!"
"This is my first race!" I said like a goofball.
But they were like, AWESOME! GO GO GO! Sometimes, all you need is a little enthusiastic encouragement. :-)
So I picked up my pace. And then as I rounded another corner, a woman yelled, "This is it! Just run straight to that corner and you'll see the finish!" So I picked up my pace again, and...
I FINISHED!
:-)
My time wasn't great, but I don't really care. Mainly I'm telling myself it was because of the horribly slow beginning. The main thing is, we did it. And it was FUN. And that's all that matters.
Now, I could go on and on about the lessons here that we could all apply to our writing journeys, but they seem so obvious, I don't think I need to. What I will do is throw out a few key words:
challenge, work, friend, dedication, determination, encouragement, and, most importantly...
YOU CAN DO THIS
You can.
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!
xo
I don't know why I felt drawn to this challenge, but something told me I needed to find a way to be more active and I was all out of excuses. So, I started. And it was hard. And embarrassing. Even though I was mostly by myself (sometimes my son came with me), I was shocked at how truly out of shape I was. In the early parts of the challenge, you run for 60 seconds and then walk for 60 seconds. I was winded.
But somehow, I kept it up. I think because each week, as the challenge got a little harder and I had to run a little longer, I was doing it. 60 seconds was nothing! Then 90 seconds was nothing. Then what I thought would be truly impossible—5 minutes—was... NOTHING. Eventually I could run close to 40 minutes. And even though I still have those pre-run dreads, when I finish, I feel ALIVE. And proud. And... well... good.
I never intended to do any races or anything like that. I just wanted to reach my goal, and then keep it up. And ok, maybe increase my speed so I wasn't pushing up the road in my old lady shuffle.
But two sweet friends who took up the challenge shortly after I did convinced me to sign up for a local benefit run. It's a great cause. So... I did it.
Here I am with Katy and Amber Wednesday night after we registered for the race:
When we approached the registration table, the woman looked at us and asked, "Are you walkers or runners?"
"Runners," we said.
And it felt GREAT.
We kidded later that she probably took one look at us and was sure we were walkers. :-)
Fred was very kind and blessed our numbers for us.
All week, I've had a sore throat that won't go away. And the morning of the run, I had a horrible headache. But I told myself I was not going to make any excuses. I was determined. Still, I updated my Facebook page, saying how nervous I was.
My friend Sara responded with this:
"You're so ready for this, and you're among other first timers. At the starting line, remember to take a moment and enjoy the experience. It will go by really fast & don't let your nerves take away the experience of enjoying the moment. Once the race starts, run hard & believe in yourself. You're ready for this."
Here we are as we were waiting for the run to start (with thanks to Katy, who I stole all these photos from-thanks Katy!). It was so crowded. There were over 1,300 walkers and runners. You could tell the runners because so many of them were in their fancy running gear. I felt pretty out of place with my cotton leggings from K-mart and my long-sleeve t-shirt. And yes. That is a jacket. ;-)
When it was time to get ready, we all walked out to the road and crowded together like sardines. A band was playing on the flatbed of a truck. And then Zack's dad gave a touching speech about his son. And then we all sang the National Anthem. I took my friend Sara's advice and breathed in the moment. I also squeezed Katy's hand for luck. And then....
We took off!
Only we didn't.
Because there were so many people we had to do a slow walk down the road. Gradually, though, the crowd began to divide between runners and walkers, and pretty soon, we were able to start jogging very slowly. Amber and her gang had managed to get way ahead during the slow part, and then Katy and I divided once we were able to start jogging at our regular paces. We had to dodge our way between walkers and it was pretty challenging. But after a block or so, it got easier.
And then I was on my own. Just jogging along through the usually busy streets of Woodstock. The snow on the roofs sparkled in the sun. It was fun jogging past the walkers and hearing bits of their conversation. I knew I was jogging pretty slowly, but my friend Sara had said just enjoy every moment. And so I did. I was afraid to "run hard", because all through the run I had no idea how far I'd gone or how close I was to the end, and I didn't want to waste all my energy. But finally, a couple on the corner said, "You're three-quarters done! Keep going!"
"This is my first race!" I said like a goofball.
But they were like, AWESOME! GO GO GO! Sometimes, all you need is a little enthusiastic encouragement. :-)
So I picked up my pace. And then as I rounded another corner, a woman yelled, "This is it! Just run straight to that corner and you'll see the finish!" So I picked up my pace again, and...
I FINISHED!
:-)
My time wasn't great, but I don't really care. Mainly I'm telling myself it was because of the horribly slow beginning. The main thing is, we did it. And it was FUN. And that's all that matters.
Now, I could go on and on about the lessons here that we could all apply to our writing journeys, but they seem so obvious, I don't think I need to. What I will do is throw out a few key words:
challenge, work, friend, dedication, determination, encouragement, and, most importantly...
YOU CAN DO THIS
You can.
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!
xo
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