Is this totally crazy?

There's a 5K walk/run on July 31st.  It was established in memory of a local doctor who died of a heart attack while out for her daily run three years ago.  She happens to be the doctor we credit with saving Holland from much more severe damage during her ear situation three years ago.

I'm considering registering.

ACK!!!

Is that totally insane??  Is there any way I'd be ready to run a 5K by then?  I certainly could walk it - it's not that far to walk.  But if I registered, I'd want to run it.  I feel such a strong pull to do this.  Even down to the last phrase on the registration pamphlet I picked up:

Those who ran with Nancy often remember her saying, "We must be nuts."

See - it's like everything is pointing me to do it as it would be NUTS for me to think I could!

To run or not to run.....that is the question...

WHAAAAAAAAAAAT??!!!

Guess who can run 90 consecutive seconds - SIX TIMES - with a two minute walk in between each run?

ME!!!!

Wooooooooo!

Who knew??!

Today marked the beginning of Week 2 of the C25K training.  I won't lie.  I was actually a little scared to even think about starting this week.  I mean, my first attempt at Week 1 wasn't exactly a rousing success, right?  It did get a little better, but still.  There was no, "YIPPEE!  I get to run MORE this week!" scrolling through my head.

Something that may have helped is that I changed up my route.  It's tricky to find non-ridiculously hilly terrain around my house.  Or anywhere in this city, really.  And while I have found I have one hill in me, I'm just not quite in the mountain running catagory.  (Is that a catagory?  Should be.  Mark it down.)  The new route is pretty good.  I'll call it my Week 2 route.

The first three runs went really well.  Even with a small hill.  Run four marked the turning point for my calves and during runs five and six, my knees decided to join "Calf Revolt 2010".  And I'm pretty sure I spotted a turtle passing me...

BUT I FINISHED.  WITHOUT STOPPING!!

And then, promptly got the hiccups.

Huh?

I agree.  I thought it was weird too.  Maybe I'm a medical miracle?

Tomorrow will be a rest day.  I intend to rest the heck out of it.  And back at it on Thursday.  Fearlessly.

Let's talk about running, shall we?

I am not a runner. 

Let me set the scene for you:  It's 1985.  You're in a church parking lot about a half block from Lowell Elementary school.  There is a group of about 20 fifth graders and perhaps some orange cones laid out in an oval.  (That cone part may be fictionalized.  My old lady brain can't remember that part.)  It's the big day.  The day "they" want you to run a mile.  And be timed.

Torture.

There's one little girl.  Adorable, really.  (Well, maybe not in fifth grade.  There were some "lost years" there in early puberty!)  She wants to do well.  In her head she's thinking, "It's just running.  I'll nail this."  She SEES herself coming in first.

And, she comes in 4th to last.  Painfully so.  Embarassingly so.  And did I mention that her Dad was a cross-country running coach?  sheesh.

Yes, that little girl was me.  Obviously, 25 years later, I'm OK with that.  Hey, at least I finished!  But it's one of a long list of examples in which I am just not biologically predisposed to be a runner.  Now, if a bear was chasing me?  I could probably run.  But not for long and that bear better only have like 2.5 legs or something to slow him down as well. 

Over and over I've been challenged to run - training for the volleyball season, trying to get my cardio up for my dance training, at the gym track - and it's just never stuck.  Who knows why.  In all of those instances, I was in pretty top shape fitness-wise.  Not to be to er, blatent, but I have always blamed the largeness of my chest.  It's not easy to run with all that going on.  Trust me.

In this new era of eliminating the "can't" from my life, I'm DETERMINED to become a runner.  A couple of years ago, I'd run across this running program called:  Couch to 5K. http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml  At that time, there was really no such thing as an MP3 player or iTunes.  I printed the training schedule off and dragged it down to the dusty basement treadmill.  Did the first day and then abandoned it.  People, it's hard enough for me to run - think Pheobe from Friends but with less joy and flailing - without having to refer to flowcharts of duration and speed.

Enter the modern age.

There's an app for that! 

Now, I don't have a fancy cell phone.  But I dug through iTunes and found a free podcast download by a fella named Robert Ullrey.  It's free and with only a little coaxing, it is now on my MP3 player.  His website (which also contains his podcasts) is here:  http://www.ullreys.com/robert/Podcasts/index.html  The music is a little new age-y but you get used to it.  I do know my friends with fancy phones bought apps that flow right over your own music.  I can get the name of it if anyone's interested.

Basic breakdown of the Couch to 5K program - or C25K as the cool kids (or lazy kids) call it.  You walk for about 5 minutes as a warm up and then do alternating intervals of running and walking.  Week 1 is 5 minutes warm up, 1 minute run, 90 seconds walk and repeat until you've completed 8 running intervals. 

And the first day I did it, I thought I was going to die.  Total flashback to the fifth grader in that church parking lot.  Surprisingly, my lungs didn't feel like they were going to crawl out of my body in protest.  It was my calves.  Holy Hannah.  On the second minute of running they started BURNING.  I'll be honest, I only made it partially through that workout.  Good as an eye opener, not great for morale.  But, after a rest day I was out there again.  And made it twice as far without full body meltdown.  Rest day, onto day 3 and I DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!  The whole program from start to finish.  With no pausing or even really any feelings of wanting to die right there on Basswood Avenue.  Amazing stuff. 

I made the executive decision to repeat week 1 this week.  You can't really count what I did last week as successfully completion.  Today will be day 3 and I am probably ready to move onto week 2 next week.  I'm SCARED to move to week 2, but I will do it. 

There's nothing pretty or glamorous about me and running.  Yet.  But, it's nice to know that I *can* run.  Even if it's for 8 spaced out minutes.

Run, Julie, Ruuuuuuuuuuuuuun....

You sort of have to quote Forrest Gump when you talk about running, don't you?? Is that still hip with the youth of today? Wait, let me get my hearing aids and cane.

Another part of this journey to awesomeness is using the Couch to 5K running plan. You can find it here: http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml Basically, it teaches your body how to deal with running a 5K in a few months' time. Very methodically laid out using interval training and alternating running with walking. It's great.

Did I mention how much I loathe running?

Or how much running loathes me?

Yeah. I'm not sure exactly why I decided this would be a good idea. Probably because of that whole conquering the "can't" thing. I'm tired of there being things I just don't do because I assume I can't do them. It's just running. I see old, out of shape people jogging around all the time in the neighborhood. Apparently I aspire to join their ranks.

Do you want to know a lil' secret? *shhhhhhhhhhhh* It turns out, me and running actually sort of get along. Let's not say it too loudly though - running is an elusive vixen and I don't want to jinx or relationship by defining it so early in the relationship. But, hopes are high. I'll keep you updated as things progress.

A smidge of background...

I'm a work in progress. Currently under renovation. Making some changes. Please excuse my dust. And all those other great sayings.

Really, I'm newly re-dedicated to improving myself - my fitness, my eating, my health. Weight Watchers online and the Couch to 5K running plan are my two new best friends. I started a week and a half ago and am happy to report, am still going strong on both.

Why?

Well, I'm tired of feeling like I can't. Can't lose weight. Can't run. Can't make permanent changes and stick with them. This time it's all about can. And can in a very mindful way - sometimes it's minute to minute choices and in other moments, it's all about the big picture.

I started this blog to be a collection place for the things that stick out. My highlight reel I guess you could call it. For one, in the past week I've discovered all sorts of new and amazing recipes. I want to share them. I've also discovered that I can run for more than 1 minute and not only not die but actually sort of, kind of enjoy it. Eeek!

Give me a couple of days to get caught up! And as I go, I'll try tag things to make them easier to find. Thanks for coming on this journey with me!