Run , Forrest, Run

I have been going back and forth this week about whether to blog about this or not.

I guess, I have decided I will .

On one hand , I wasn't sure I wanted to share.

You know how sometimes you want to do something,

but you're afraid if you tell people and fail , what they will think?

On the other hand , I knew I needed the accountability of "putting it out there."

You know,the whole ,  " it's not a goal till you write it down or share it with someone " thing.

Heard that before?

Uh huh, well, it doesn't make it any easier.

I have a secret.

Ready ?

This week I started the Couch to 5K program.

Heard of it ?

If not, you can check it out HERE.

Now , don't get me wrong.

I am NOT a couch potato.

I own a Curves and workout 3 times a week , plus Zumba once a week.

But let me tell you something,

RUNNING ( or in my case JOGGING ) is a COMPLETELY different story !

I have great muscle tone in my legs ( not bragging, just a fact , and I have worked hard to get it ),

but I was concerned because #1 , I have NEVER been a runner , EVER.

I was more like,

or

and because #2 - I am no spring chica.

Being on the upside of 46 ( YIKES ), was it too late for me to give this running thing a try ?

Would my old knees whine?

Would I all of a sudden develop Plantar Fasciitis ( feet problems for those of you who don't know someone with it, but I think everyone knows someone that has it , and it hurts ! ) ?

And I have bad hips, how would they be able to take it ?

All good questions, but also just excuses to keep me from trying.

One of my biggest pet peeves ( and  believe me I have a lot ! ) is excuses.

When it comes to excuses not to exercise ,

So I talked to people I love and trust that run.

Spencer ( my beautiful niece you have read about many times ) said when she ran her first marathon there was a 60-70ish ( I don't remember , older than me anyway ) year old man that ran with her and he didn't start running till he was 50. ( I'm  not quite there yet either ).

She thought I could and should do it.

My niece Cindy , suggested the Couch to 5K program.

Cindy is the life partner of my niece Tisha.

They are both in their 40's , both run , have both had running injuries, but have NOT given up.

I admire them for so many reasons

Sooo,

I googled Couch to 5K.

And I finished my first week.

3 - 30 minute walk/jogs.

I'm not going to tell you it was easy.

It was not.

But each time I wanted to stop , I made myself go a little farther.

And I finished each step.

The first day , I did 30 minutes of yoga afterward.

I was so afraid if I didn't really stretch out my old muscles, they would cease up.

And let me tell you , my quads WERE * KILLING * ME.

That was Wednesday.

Another reason , I think they hurt so bad is I ran laps in our yard.

Uneven surface , probably not a good choice for my first walk/jog.

But....

We have a HUGE yard and I didn't want anyone to see me.

Can you say INSECURE ?

Second walk/jog was on Friday.

Quads were still sore and I wasn't sure how it would go.

I was determined pain  would not be an excuse to stop !

This time I decided to run the driveway, it is also really long and a much more even surface.

 Once I got started - they actually felt BETTER !

Go figure.

Third walk/jog this morning.

For some reason it was harder today.

I have no idea why.

But I will have a few days to figure it out.

My C25K schedule is Wednesday, Friday, Sunday.

They suggest resting days in between , and trust me , I need them.

Does this mean I will stick to it?

Not nessecarily.

I sure hope so.

But now that I have shared it, I know I'm accountable.

Has anyone out there done the Couch to 5K program ?

I would really love to hear from you if you have.