So, today was a raining and thundering kind of morning. The perfect opportunity to sleep in, do a little reading, and have a lazy time of it. So, what was I doing putting on my sweatpants and lacing up my new sneakers? I was getting ready to set out on the 2nd day of my new walk/run program. I had a small window of opportunity, once the thunder and rain stopped, to get outside before the next storm passed through (according to the Doppler radar on News Center 6). My brain and body said no, but my heart said go for it; so I did.
At this point, I should give you some background information. The sport of running seems to be gaining popularity in the New England area. Maybe it has always been popular and they just have a better PR person, I don‘t really know. Sometime last fall, I began to notice tons of ads on TV and in the newspaper for different races and walks, some for charity and some just for the heck of it. All the people in the ads, clad in their cute running attire and stylish running shoes, were smiling and happy as they crossed the finish line. The more I came across such ads the more a tiny seed of an idea started to bloom in my head; I would become a runner!
I had images of myself, smiling and waving my arms like Rocky Balboa, crossing the finish line. I could envision my family and friends on the side of the road, hooting and hollering me home. In some of my more egotistic daydreams, I even saw the New Center 6 news reporter running up to me with a microphone wanting me to tell the world (well, at least Maine) “how I did it!” Ok, yes, I admit it, my imagination did start to get the better of me, and maybe my intentions were not exactly for the pure love of the sport.
So, I started out in September of 2010 on my own running plan, and things started out pretty well. In week 1 the goal was to walk for 5 minutes, run for 1 and repeat 4 times. Each week, I would increase the time that I ran and lower the amount I walked. I ended up getting to a point where I was running for 4 and only walking for 2 and I was feeling pretty darn proud of myself. I also realized an interesting side effect to all this exercise (no, not just weight loss), I started to feel calmer and more “zen” like. Sure, some days I hated it and was so not motivated to go, but I noticed while I was walking/running I didn’t have time to think about anything else. It was a nice mental break (some may say meditation) from all the worries of my daily life (what will I make for dinner? Did I remember to lock the laptop cabinet at school? And what the heck IS that new noise my car is making?) It was also a nice bonding experience for my pooch, Bella, and made her a much calmer dog at home.
Around November the reality of what I was attempting hit home and I hit a wall. This happened for a couple of reasons: daylight savings time, a cute looking callus on my left big toe, and realizing the race I had wanted to try to run was not the 4K I had thought, it was actually 4 miles! Combine that with the weather cooling down and the amount of daylight decreasing, it seemed to be the end of my running days. I’m enough of a couch potato to not be too excited to run or walk in the darkness, no matter how many cool little blinking lights you can get to signal to drivers that, not running you over, would make your day! Suffice it to say, my motivation waned and I retreated to my old friend, the couch.
But what about an indoor treadmill you say? I have one, although I think it recently broke. I’ve just never seen the point of a treadmill, running in 1 place while staring at a blank wall just didn’t get my get up going. I’ve tried reading while running on a treadmill, but it never worked out and I ended up with motion sickness. No, I took the path of lease resistance and gave up.
Fast forward a few months, the weather is warmer and the snow is gone, and I feel ready to give it another try. I realized last week that it was time to pick myself up by the shoe laces and get out there! THIS time around I am a little more realistic, I know what to expect and what I need to do. THIS time I am not running for glory or fame, in fact, I don’t even have a particular race in mind. THIS time I am running because I know my body can do it. I’ve spent a lot of time as a teen and young adult thinking not having much faith in my body’s ability to do things. One thing I am learning through my adventures is that, yes my body can if I let it! It’s a pretty empowering feeling. So, happy running couch potatoes, even if it is vicariously through the TV or through using the Wii Fit! Hey, there is no shame, you have to start somewhere!!
For more information on some great beginning walking/running programs, check out
www.coolrunning.com. I am working on the Couch to 5K as referenced in the online article by Josh Clark.
You can do it!
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