My Running Story

I began Jr. high and  high school playing field hockey because that's what most girls did.  I enjoyed it but did not excel at it.  In my Junior year, my friend Julie talked me into joining track with her.  We had no idea what we wanted to do, thus, we became sprinters.  Julie did fairly well...I did not.  I came in last every race.

When we began to train, we could only run parts of the 1 1/2 mile assigned run.  In our cheap running shoes, we also suffered painful shin splints.  At times, it was a comedy of errors.  Especially the time the coach decided to have us do the triple jump.  For those of you who know anything about track, it demands a very specific approach and we looked more like drunken wobbling turkeys than anything else. 

In spite of our mishaps, I ended up enjoying running more than I thought.  So, when fall came around, instead of warming the bench on the field hockey team, I decided to run cross country.  It was there that I did better.  I may not have been fast, but I did have endurance.  I loved pushing myself, and though I was not the top runner on the team, I could hold my own.

That was many years ago and it has been an on and off romance with running since then.  At times, I would pick up a pair of shoes and try to get back into it, only to fall off after a few days and some aching shins.  So, when my sister signed me up for the Adirondack 5k, I was hoping it was more of a walk/run.

As the weeks of summer started to slip away, I realized I needed to get going on tackling the task of training.  It was then I thought of the Couch to 5K plan I saw on a friend's blog.  I printed the plan, strapped a watch to the stroller to track my times, and headed out with my two running partners (very thankful to have a double running stroller given to me by a friend).  It was not as bad as I thought and I was excited to have a system to work with.  Especially one that works you up gradually because I have a tendency to push too much and regret it later!

Having equipped my new iPhone with a case in order to listen to tunes while I ran,  I wondered if there was an app I could use with the Couch to 5K.  Alas...there is an app for that!  It integrated my play list, tracked my runs, and even prompted me with walking, running, and how much time I have left.  It has been such a help!  The accountability really helps my motivation!  I have just finished week 4 and am really feeling great!  That doesn't mean that all workouts have been easy but I definitely worked through it and can see my progress.

I have a few more weeks to go before the 5K and I do not plan on coming in first but will be thrilled to be able to finish it!  To me, that will be a great accomplishment.