I may be the biggest hypocrite when it comes to the topic of running. For years I complained about running, made fun of people who ran, said I would do absolutely any exercise but run, I was very clear on my hatred of running. I thought people who paid to run (races) were completely out of their minds...really, who in their right mind would pay to torture themselves? And I was relentless in the taunting of my friend that runs at 4 am (to whom I've since apologized).
Here's what happened...
Nearly a year after my second son was born, I was still fat! I had always eaten healthy and rarely indulged in sweets or snacks. I was hitting the gym, weights, cardio, even classes like body combat. I lost about 6 pounds. That's less than either one of my kids weighed at birth! I wasn't giving up though. While I was out of town for a week, I didn't have access to a gym. I didn't want to lose my momentum, even though I wasn't losing weight...so I did the unthinkable, I ran. It wasn't pretty. I put both kids in the Joovy (not a stroller built for running), and huffed and puffed up and down the hills of small town central Pennsylvania. I lost 3 pounds! 3 pounds in that one week. I didn't like it, I hated it, but I saw results.
When I came home I continued to run. I did not buy a jogger. I was just not committed enough to the sport to spend any money on it. I kept it up for about 2 months, but I hit a wall. I was still losing weight, but couldn't push the kids past 1 mile. It was time to try a new approach. By the way, still hated running at this point, but did like the results. There were tons of Facebook posts about the Couch to 5k program. So I gritted my teeth and spent $3.99, and downloaded the c25k app for my Blackberry. Now that I spent money on it, I had to get to the end of the program and I had to be capable of running a 5k...basically, I had to get my money's worth. Yeah, I'm that cheap. I really had no intention of actually running a 5k race, I just needed to be able to run the 3.1 miles that the program promised I'd be able to do in 8 weeks. It just so happened that one of my favorite charities was holding a 5k shortly after I was scheduled to finish my c25k program. I still hated running, but I wasn't backing down from the challenge I had set for myself. Plus I was still losing weight. My goal was not to place, just to finish...without dying...or passing out...or puking. I must admit that I probably would not have signed up for the race or pushed myself as hard, had I not had crazy running friend.
The c25k program had run it's course about 3 weeks before my first 5k. I still hated running, but man, I was pretty proud of myself for being able to run over 3 miles. I had a new Blackberry app to track my pace, milage, calories, etc. 2 days before my big run, I went out by myself. It was fall, it was sunny, it was just the right temperature, I ran and ran and ran. I checked my gps and it said that I had logged 3.34 miles. YEAH! Furthest I had run so far! Sweet! I rocked! What?! Oh Lord, it happened...I LOVED Running!
Before I knew it I was bargain shopping for running tights and tech shirts. I had awesome new running shoes and I was researching "chi running". I was even going out for early morning runs! *gasp* Yes, I agreed to a 4am run with crazy running friend. It was so nice. I got my run in, I had camaraderie thanks to crazy running friend and crazy shopper running friend (who also enjoys the 4am run, and pushing me), we had coffee, and I still had time to shower and relax alone before the kids got up. I don't often get to make the 4am run due to the husband's schedule, but I do get to do my own 5am run...which is still so nice. What's also nice is that I have gone from a size 10 to a size 4 in less than a year. I feel good, healthy. I have energy. Yep, I've become one of those people...and I like it.
Now that I've experienced the joys of running, I am determined to expose others. I even have Tony running. He's started with the c25k program and is already up to 1.5 miles.
Here's what I learned...
I'm certainly no one to give running advice, but I want to share a few things that I didn't know before. First, get a good pair of running shoes. Go to a running specialty store and get fitted by a professional. Then go order your shoes on line for a whole lot less than you'll pay in the store. Once you run in running clothes, you'll never go back to sweats. It's fun to get race shirts. You should dress for 15-20 degrees warmer than the actual temperature. It's better to set a goal of how far you're going to run rather than how much weight you want to lose. You're more likely to reach and surpass your goal, and the other will just happen. Running outside is real running. You might get hurt, suck it up...but listen to your doctor. 3 days off will set you back a lot more than 3 days. Running with someone faster than you keeps you motivated. Running with someone slower than you keeps someone else motivated. If you tell people that you run before the sun comes up, they will think you are nuts...but they will also secretly wish they loved to run at 5am. And last, but not least, if I can learn to love running, anyone can.
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