Run, Melinda, Run!

Woooo! I'm a runner!!  Just kidding.  I have a lot more work to do, but I'm making progress.

If I had updated my blog for the last few weeks it would have been full of complaints.  This is too hard. My lungs hurt.  I have shin splints.  I'm sweaty. This sucks!   But, I was a little busy and failed to update everyone on my progress (um, complaints) and now I can successfully report that I can run 1/4 mile straight!

That may not seem like great progress to some, but for me it's awesome!  My first week I could barely push past 30 seconds and maxed out running one minute with longer recovery times.  My second week wasn't much better, I think I maxed out at two minutes. And, I went home for my sister's wedding so I had a good excuse for not training much. (Congrats to Laura and Matt!)

Week three I got back into my training routine and went to the track with a friend, which changed how I'm interval training.  I didn't have a stopwatch so she and I ran half of the track and walked the other half.  We completed 2.4 miles in 35 minutes. I kept my training to 1/8 mi intervals the rest of the week decided to go for three miles on Friday.  After two intervals I pushed myself to keep going for a full 1/4 mile. And, I did it!  Yay!  Of course, I was so red in the face after completing a 3 mile walk/run I think other gym patrons were worried about me.  But, I didn't die!  And, I ran all the way around the track today at lunch!! 

This isn't easy and I still have a hatred for those who can easily run but it's not quite as strong as it was three weeks ago.

I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving! I know I'll be running on Friday to burn off all of the food and drinks I plan on enjoying.  :-)

I am (not) a Runner...Yet.

I want to be a runner.  Not a marathoner.  Just a runner.  I want to be able to jog along happily without needing to pause to catch my breath.  This doesn’t seem like it should be too hard, right?   I look around at others at the gym, jogging along on the treadmill at a steady pace and it looks easy.  Looks are deceiving.

I get on the treadmill and after a warm up I crank up my speed up between 5.0 and 5.5 and I start jogging.  30 seconds.  Stop. Pant. Walk. Walk. Walk.  30 second jog.  Pant. Pant. Walk. Glance over enviously at my neighbor running with ease.  Walk. 30 second jog. Repeat for 30 minutes.   I’m out of breath.  I feel like my legs can keep going but my lungs can’t keep up. 

But, I keep going.  By the end of week one, I worked up to 45 second intervals.  I’m now into week two and I’ve managed to run for two minutes straight but then had to knock it back down to 1 minute intervals. 

This is a lot harder than I thought it would be and in spite of how awkward I feel running I’m determined to do this.  If I can reach my goal weight, I can be a runner too.  And after watching My 120 Pound Journey, I’m also inspired.  This guy started out slow too.  And, look what he’s accomplished.  He found happiness along with losing120 pounds and running the Boston Marathon with his father and brother. 

If you want to do it, all you have to do is do it.