From Couch To 5K
There are several things that I can label as satisfying achievements in my life:
- My marriage
- My children
- My relationship with God
- Running my own business
- Having traveled to Africa
- Have taught at a university for 6 years
- Etc.
As far as my own personal achievements that I have accomplished most recently has been this blog. Making my way through losing weight, walking, hiking, running, and everything that makes up a weight loss program. As I’ve stated many times on this blog, I’m a big believe in Weight Watchers and their system.
One of the things that I believe has been ESSENTIAL in my success is having a multi-faceted goal that made up my weight loss program. It was more than Weight Watchers and learning to eat better, eat less, and lose weight. I needed a new identity as well. For way too many years I have soon myself as lazy, slothful, fat, no energy, etc. I needed a new identity, and I chose running to help shape that. The funny thing is, I never really liked running in the past, but something changed and it doesn’t take long to fall in love with this sport.
Running has been something that has been so gratifying, so personally fulfilling, and incredibly rewarding. There are so many levels to running. It is something you can do completely on your own, or in joining a local team, you can do together. You can choose to run for fun, compete in local races, or enter challenges such as 5K, 10K, half-marathon, or marathon races.
The one thing I have learned is that it isn’t quite as easy as saying… “Go run a mile.” It is, and it isn’t. There are some things you need to know regarding nutrition before a big run, staying hydrated before, during, and after a run, choosing the right shoes, shorts, shirts, socks, etc., putting together a schedule to follow.
The last thing I wanted to do was get injured or do something that would accentuate the fact that I was fat, overweight, and a non-athlete. That is why I spent a bit of money and did two things:
- I got a course that would teach me as a beginner who sits on his butt too many hours in the day at my desk and on the couch how to transition to running my first race.
- I buy the latest Runners World magazine every month at Barnes and Noble to keep myself motivated, learn some tips, and see the bigger picture.
If you read back through my blog, you’ll learn that I ran my first 5K race on Memorial Day, May 30th, 2011. A 5 Kilometer race is 3.1 miles. It was a hard race for me. There were some uphills that just about wiped me out. But, when I crossed that finish line at 31 minutes 39 seconds, I was overwhelmed by one of THE MOST GRATIFYING, SATISFYING, and FULFILLING emotions I had felt in decades. I had done it. It is the most incredible feeling to be standing among so many other runners knowing you have just made it!!
It didn’t start that way. I could barely run 2 minutes in those first days, thinking I was going to die. But, I followed a course that was lined out for me. I slowly began to add minutes, and before I knew it I was reaching further than I could have imagined. That is why I want to recommend to you a course that does just that. It teaches a beginner to go from nothing, to completing their first 5K race. Go check out:
It is a tested, easy to follow, and comprehensive course. I highly recommend it if you want to incorporate running into your weight loss program. I love the 5K race. I ran a second 5K race on June 25, 2011 and finished in 29 minutes, 7 seconds.
It is contagious. It may be the hardest thing you have done in years. My identity is changing. I see myself as a runner these days. I’m running 10K races and getting ready for my first half-marathon in November 2011. I don’t see myself as lazy, fat, or slothful anymore. Those have been replaced by driven, athlete, runner, and focused.
Listen, if a guy who had bad knees and ankles, swollen ankles, about 100 pounds overweight, couldn’t go up 10 stairs without gasping for breath, couldn’t hardly fit my fat butt into a stadium chair to watch a game, let alone become an athlete and compete again, someone who had lost nearly all confidence… if I can do it, you can too.
Go check it out and see if it is something that would be a good fit for you.
Aaaaaand I just noticed this post. C25K is fantastic, I started it in May 2011, having never run an entire mile without stopping in my whole life. I’ve never done a straight 5k race (I’ve done three mud runs – 5k runs with obstacles) and have never even come close to your time on my own little jobs (35:12 this morning, actually), but I am astounded at how well laid out the program is, and how “easy” it was. Seriously life changing thing.