Run a 5K
Up until this past year I never considered running. It seemed way too daunting. And then all my friends started doing it. I know, I know I shouldn't jump off a bridge if they all do it. :) While visiting Alaska my friends Casey and Megan really encouraged me to try out running. And they told me even I could do it. I love those girls, so encouraging.
Megan told me about the "Couch to 5K" program that she used. It is an app on the iPod touch. So putting a good gift (thanks Mom and Dad for the iPod) to great use I downloaded the program. And started running. I really loved it in the beginning, I only had to run one and half minutes at a time. Even I could do that! But then it got hard.
Really hard. It is a nine week program and in the seventh week the program instructs you to run twenty minutes. WHAT!?! But I did it. It was invigorating. I could not believe that was my body doing it.
After I had been running awhile a family at my school invited me to run a 5K with them. Now this was getting real. And they are real runners, not the pretend kind like me. I was really concerned that I would just look like a fool. Not that looking like that would be a new concept for me.
On September 17th I woke up early. Met up with my great friends Stephanie and DW to make the drive to Prior Lake. We were a bit early. So we went out for coffee. Waiting for the race to start was so cold. Fortunately the family from my school had brought their children. The three year old served as my heater.
My only goal running the race was to not walk. Well, I almost completed the goal. The hills were huge. I just took it slow going up. But going down was a whole other mess waiting to happen. I had to walk down two of the biggest hills on the course fearing that I would trip over my own feet. Oh well.
And the most important part: I finished.
(And I can now say I LOVE RUNNING)
