So I'm on week 5 day 3 of the Couch-to-5k plan. Or I will be on day 3 tomorrow. I know that doesn't make sense because it's the beginning of the week so I should be on day one of whatever week. But after a short vacation and car troubles, well, my week is messed up. I'll be finishing week 5 tomorrow and moving on to week 6 on Thursday. I don't plan on running on Saturday, so that means I might have to attempt a run on Sunday (after church). We'll see.
Anyways, that's not the point of this blog entry. In fact, the more that I think about it, the more that I realize that there isn't any great significance about what I'm writing except that I wanted to say that I love the fact that I can feel my body improving. I love the fact that when I first started out jogging that it felt like I was running with my shins. And now? Now I am starting to feel like I am running with my quads. It is an amazing feeling!
And the crazy part? The crazy part is that I actually look forward to running! I know. Am I sick?! I've always said I'm not a long distance runner. I was always a sprinter. I'm fast, not quick. Or I used to be, once upon a time. But after high school I would run around my neighborhood in a route that was about 2.1 miles. It's been a LOOONG time since I've ran that distance. Ok. Ok. Let me clarify that when I say "ran" or "run" it means jog. Because as I just got done saying, I'm not a long distance runner. I don't think it's something that comes naturally to me. However I feel like I get more out of a run than out of anything else. I like the fact that, although it's a bit gross for some, I sweat. A lot. And when I'm done, I'm thirsty. I also have a sense of accomplishment. You could tell me to ride a bike for 15 minutes or run for 5 and I will get a greater feeling from the run (jog).
I didn't think I'd be enjoying this process as much as I am. I'm not even losing weight yet (though I hope that starts soon!) But I FEEL better. I can feel the change in my quads just when I'm walking down the hallway at work or when I climb the stairs at home.
The next couple weeks are going to be doozies for me, but I'm still looking forward to them. My running time is not the best. Right now I'm only running on the treadmill and I know I'll have much more resistance training once I move to running outdoors. I wanted to get my endurance up before I did that. Soon. Very soon. For now I'll settle with the fact that I'm running anywhere from a 10:30 to 11 minute mile. It's not great, but it's better than it could be. I'd love to be running a 9 minute mile. Or even a solid 10. I have to remember that sometimes it takes baby steps to get there. I have to put in the time before I can really see results.
Who knows. I might train myself to be a runner afterall!
