My Runaversary

One year ago around this time (not sure the exact date, I think it was the 25th of June) I started the Couch to 5K Treadmill training. I ran on the treadmill for 9 weeks. Then I started running outside around September 3. So I thought this would be a good time to look back over the year and see what has changed and what hasn't. 

What started me running? A friend signed up for a 5K. Believe it or not, it sounded delicious, the Hot Chocolate 5K. That was a little less than eight months away and I had not been training at all, or running at all, or even walking. I started the Couch to 5K treadmill and the journey began. It was easy to do because it started me off slowly. I did more walking than running until at the end of the nine weeks I was running the whole time except five minutes warm up and five minutes cool down. I decided I better take it outside since I had heard it was far different than running ON a treadmill. That is the truth. 

For a couple of months I was running in the mornings before 6 a.m. That was really hard on me but I had to be back at home for work by 7. My husband was going with me. He wasn't a runner then, he was mostly walking but started running a little bit here and there each time we went. (He is now a full out runner, runs up to 5 miles at a time.) After that I started going a little later in the morning by myself or in the afternoons. The cooler weather was a challenge because the mornings were cooler than later in the day. But if I covered my ears the cold didn't bother me after I started running. 

My first 5K was in early February. It was pretty cold that day but I didn't feel it until way after I was finished running. The feeling I got during the race was like nothing else I had ever felt. I actually ran faster during the race than I normally do. I managed to keep running the whole way with only two 5-10 seconds where I slowed down to a fast walk for a drink. I felt amazing. There is just something about running with a bunch of people even though a LOT of them were only walking. 

Right after that race I decided I needed to find my next race so that I would not quit. I had to have something to work towards. My older daughter and I signed up for the Color Run in early April. I had two months to keep training, it was still a 5K. I knew I could slack off and not keep running if I wasn't diligent. There were days I didn't run that I was supposed to. When the second race day came I was super excited again and my daughter was even more so. It was so much fun. We enjoyed the before "party" and the after "party". 

My third 5K was one that our family did to support the purchase of Bibles for a mission group. It was in May, Mother's Day weekend. I didn't run as much as I should have in the month between those races and it really showed in my performance. I did finish but I stopped more than I did in other races. And there weren't as many runners as in the big races so I think that had something to do with it. Maybe the big crowds of runners help motivate me. 

I am signed up for the Hot Chocolate 5K again in February. I plan on signing up for a night run in September but haven't yet. I know that I need to sign up for at least two races between now and February. Maybe more. I feel wonderful after a run and after a race. Somewhere along the line I forgot that I WANT to run and got it in my head that I HAVE to run. Sometimes our minds don't allow us to do the things we THINK we HAVE to do. Time to readjust my thinking. I WANT to run because it makes me feel great and because it is good for me; heart, mind and soul. 

After a year where am I physically? I have lost some weight, but mostly I have built muscle that weighs as much as I did before. I am in a little smaller clothes on good days. I managed to NOT be bothered by asthma during my winter runs, which I thought was amazing. My heart palpitations were almost nonexistent. Sadly because I have not been running regularly over the past couple of months I can no longer say that. Another great reason to get back into it. Some of the weight (fat) has come back because of my lack of running. Fat isn't healthy, that is why I want it gone. It isn't about a number on a scale or a number on my clothes. It is about taking care of my body because it is a temple. I am getting rid of my scales (putting them away). I am going to focus on doing things that make me feel good about myself and improve my health. That includes eating even better and working out when I am able. 

I am looking forward to seeing where I am at my next runaversary. I am going to work on a list of goals and will post them this weekend. 

Changing my life one day at a time.