A Brief History of Last Week (Part 1)

Hello! I’m a little late getting this post all typed and ready, but in the words of Shaun T, “This is Insanity.” Insanity is definitely the word to describe the last week and a half!

If the above picture doesn’t make much sense to you, then let me do my best to explain it to you. The first number represents the week of our Getting Running workout, and the second number describes which run of that week we are doing on what day. For example, today’s 4-2 means that we did the 2^nd run of week 4 (two 3-minute and two 5-minute runs, if you recall).

So far, we’ve stuck super close to the schedule, and if you look ahead to Friday of this week, we’ll be running 20 minutes straight!

If you’re confused by this running schedule, just know that we wanted to simply see if we could be prepared to run a 5K in just 3 weeks instead of 9. Crazy, right? :D

Now on to Insanity! The picture above shows what our workouts should look like, but what do we actually look like during the workouts? Have a look:

Pitiful? Definitely! But are we trying? You betcha! Wow. I think anyone who has ever started Insanity has been thrown off by how hard it actually is. Ugh!

Basically, every time you do Insanity, you shorten your life by about 5 years or so. At least, that’s how it feels. The instructor, Shaun T, tries to harshly encourage us, but it’s hard to hear him when you’re too busy dry-heaving. It’s a good thing we don’t eat until AFTER the workout!

*******************BONUS********************

Here’s a list of terms for Insanity and what they mean:

Plyometric: Impossible

Hip Flexor: Bend your legs until your body can’t possibly support itself any longer, and then hold that pose

Compromised form: The way that any normal person would do an exercise, which, consequently, happens to be the wrong way to do it

Let’s gooooooo!: Shaun T’s (somehow) encouraging chant at the start of every video

(In a seductive voice) Beach body: It’s just simply fun to say this along with the voice

Tanya: A woman with the strength of about 3 rhinocerouses

Chris: A man who is constantly put to shame by Tanya

**Part 2 coming soon!**

3-Week Challenge of FUN!

Guess what? It’s August already! That’s right, 8 months have passed since I published the first post in this blog. And in that time, a lot has happened, both athletically and non-athletically. In May, I graduated from high school, and, a week later, ran in my second 5k! In June, I flew to Seattle and spent almost a month out west, seeing all there was to see! Finally, we’ve reached August, which means the start of college for me! I leave in exactly 2 weeks to the campus of Johnson University, where I will be studying this fall, but I didn’t want to leave home without first challenging myself to something fun. :D

(Trumpets are blaring) Welcome to the 3 Weeks of FUN Challenge! This challenge is meant to prepare not only the body, but also the spirit, so the more people who do it together, the better!

This challenge has 6 rules that are as follows:

1.    Spend at least 1 hour in scripture and prayer daily

2.    Go running every day

3.    Do Insanity every day

4.    Drink only water/water-mixed drinks

5.    No junk food

And the last one’s not a rule so much as a retractor:

6.    On Sundays, rules #2-5 do not apply. Rest.

And there you have it! At the beginning of this week, four of us chose to do this challenge together, and now, there are six of us. We’re growing!

In the next post, I will explain the running routine and the Insanity routine. But if you’re interested in doing this 3-week challenge, then go right on ahead! Just remember that every journey, no matter how large it may be, all SW1S!

Re-constructing!

After 3+ months of inactivity, I find myself playing catch-up here on SW1S. Here's the lowdown, Reader's Digest version:

• I conked out sometime in early May from the B210K program.
• I ran my 2nd 5k at the end of May in sweltering heat
• My runs gradually decreased their distance and times through June
• I took 1 month off of running (July) since starting last December
• Now it's time to get back in the swing of things!

So here we are! I've started Get Running all over again in hyperspeed (more on that later), and this time, I have a whole team that's helping me out! I hope to give you a detailed update tomorrow or sometime soon! In the meantime, you'll notice some aesthetic changes and updates throughout the blog. So get ready, because it all Starts With 1 Step... version 2.0!

Spandex, Scenery, and Sign-ups (#s 4, 5, and 6)

Spandex

A couple weeks ago, I decided to use the last of my Amazon credit to buy a pair of Under Armor shorts. Twenty-five bucks and five days later, they arrived! I gotta say, these things are an answered prayer! My running has gotten much smoother and less painful (if you know what I mean…)!

If you are just starting to run, buy a pair of Under Armor shorts. Trust me. It’s one of the wisest investments you can make in your career as a runner!

Now, on to…

Scenery

Since I’m making up for three runs that I’ve failed to log (talk about lazy! But I’ve really been busy and running, I promise!), I’ll take you back to my 2^nd run this week, when my older sister (home from spring break) decided to ride her bike along with me as I ran.

I made it through my first of three 15-minute runs and was about to turn around and restart the same loop, when Rachel said, “Why don’t we go down this gravel road instead?”

I said, “Sure! Let’s do it!” But I was really thinking, I hate gravel I hate gravel I hate gravel. But I wanted to show her that I am her dauntless and brave younger brother, so we headed down the (ugh) gravel road. The gravel road, as I’ve been told by my family, is .9 miles long. Yes, folks, that’s .9 miles of loud, foot-pounding, teeth-crunching gravel. Then I had to turn back around and do it again to get home!

You may be asking yourself, So, why did he post such a pretty picture if he’s only going to rant about how awful it is? Well, I may not have enjoyed the awfulness of all the rocks under my feet (for such a long time), but the scenery made it all worth it! I live in Illinois, and while there are no mountain ranges, beautiful streams, or illustrious landmarks, the rolling pasture can really take your breath away! Now that spring has sprung, it the world has turned beautiful, and my runs have become quite a bit more enjoyable!

And, finally…

Sign-ups!

The decision isn’t 100% final, but I’m about to send in my registration for my 2^nd ever 5k race! And, this one is also really close to home! I finished my last one in 32:47-ish, and I’m determined to bring it down to under 30 minutes. The date for this race is May 26^th, so, if everything goes according to plan, I’ll be done with Bridge by then, and still have a couple weeks to get my time down even lower!

Well, that’s it for this weekend! I hope you keep doing great things and blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah starts with 1 step!

Bridge, Boredom, and Bugs (#3)

Since starting running in December, this week has been the week that I have hated the most. I’m not trying to be a Debby Downer, I was just extremely unprepared for how much time each workout would entail. But I guess I’ll get used to it! :D

Well, spring has sprung! And with it, so have all the bugs. The 1-minute “breaks” between runs turned out to be a chance for mosquitos, gnats, and flies to take over my face and show me their newly-metamorphosed bodies. I wasn’t that thrilled with them. That means I’m going to have to start lathering in vanilla before runs from now on! (Really, vanilla works better than any bug spray! Just put some on a cotton ball and cover your face, arms, and legs with a thin layer! As a bonus, you’ll smell really good while you wear it!)

The worst part of running for longer times isn’t the time, the distance, or the energy that I spend. In fact, I just get plain bored while on the route. I listen to music, but find that I get bored of hearing the same songs. Maybe I just need to come up with some stories to keep going in my head! Then I can write them and become a best-selling author and be rich! Yeah…

I can look forward to next week and see that each day consists of three 15-minute runs with breaks of 1 minute between each one. Maybe running three runs instead of four will be of some help to relieve the boredom!

So don’t be a Debby Downer! Instead, be a Positive Polly! After all, she’s much more fun to hang around; it’s because she knows that her journey, no matter how large it may be, all starts with 1 step!  

Bridge 2

They say that every hour you exercise, you extend your life by one hour. That means that, since I started running, I have extended my life by about… one day. Well, I can only hope that that day is jam-packed with incredible things! :D

During Monday’s run, I hadn’t yet worked with my B210k app, so I was music-less the entire time. Wow! A ten-minute run seems much longer when there’s no music! You can be sure that I was glad to have it back today!

Honestly, because of how long Monday’s run seemed, I was dreading today’s run. I didn’t want to do it, but I know that I’ll never get to 10k at a time without some discipline. So I put on my shorts, tied my shoes, and headed out. I walked to the park, ran 4 laps (I think) around it, and headed back for home. I spend the entire time singing along to my music and playing guitar in a pretend concert, so time passed much quicker than it did the other day! Four 10-minute runs and three 1-minute walks later, I was done!

It feels like I’m right at the beginning of Get Running, only this time, I’m running ten minutes at a time instead of one minute! Each run will only get me farther on my journey! I just gotta remember that it all starts with 1 step!

Bridge 1

After a month of the same workout, I was looking forward to today’s first run of the Bridge to 10k program! However, I seem to have forgotten how big of a task it is to extend a run by 10 minutes.

The last time I was in the habit of writing on this blog, the weather was still gloomy and ever-changing, as winter always seems to be around here. Since then, however, flowers have bloomed, the grass has turned green, and the weather has warmed about 30 degrees! Yep, spring is in full bloom! As an added bonus for my runs, the smells of flowers and freshly-mowed grass only encourage me to keep going!

As for today’s run, I quickly learned that my new coach isn’t as sweet as Claire. She’s a very “to-the-point” kind of coach, with single-word instructions such as “Run!,” Walk!,” and “Cool Down!” (not a single word, but you get my point). Until I come up with a name for her, as I always answer back to the iPod (strange, but fun!), I’m just gonna call her Claire.

The running part of my run consisted of 4 10-minute runs, with a 1-minute walk between runs. The runs were easy as far as running is concerned (and over the past month, more people frequent the park, so I get to greet them and smile!), but I could feel myself running slower during each run, as I apparently didn’t ration my energy well enough. But I have to remember that I’m back to the learning stage of things, so I’m going to have more difficulties than I’ve been facing while running my 5k route over and over.

By my next run, I’ll hopefully feel better and be more able to save my energy for the later runs. But until then, it’s time to rest and enjoy the wonderful weather with which God has blessed us! As for you, remember that your journey, no matter how large it may be, all starts with 1 step!

Part 2!

A month ago, I signed off from this blog, asking you to follow me on the next part of my journey. I am pleased to announce that it’s finally here! Welcome back to “Part 2” of my journey to become fit!

So, let me fill you in on what the last 4 weeks have involved… I’ve run at least 3 times each week, varying my workouts ever so slightly. The first week after Get Running,  I stuck with the workout for week 9, pushing myself to run just a little faster in those 30 minutes than I did the week before. The second week, I started pushing myself to run farther distances than the week before. I went slower but farther. These past two weeks, I have been working on combining the speed with the distance, working up to 3 miles (5k) in around 30 minutes!

Those past 4 weeks have worked up to today, which was a rather special day. This morning, I ran my first 5k race!

People are right when they tell you that nothing beats the excitement of running with so many others, and then screaming at the finish when they are cheering you on! It was such a refreshing experience! And I wouldn’t have done a step of it, had it not been for the past 13 weeks of training that all started by downloading an app on my iPod.

So, what now? I am ready to push myself harder, and I have a plan for it! Starting on Monday, I begin the first of 6 weeks of running the Bridge to 10k program. I downloaded it the same day I downloaded the Get Running app, and at that time, I wondered if I would even use it. But here I am, and I’m ready for this! I only hope that you’ll join me in my journey by trying something new!

Don’t get discouraged, and always remember that your journey, no matter how long it may be, all starts with 1 step…

On your mark, get set, GO!

Week 9, Run 3

Exactly 60 days ago today, I walked inside my house, cold, sweaty, tired, and defeated. I had to admit to the fact that I was completely out of shape. I could barely run for a minute straight, let alone do it eight times in one session! In those next few days, I would dread walking through the house, and cringe at the thought of walking up or down stairs. I wasn’t feeling very committed to this whole running thing yet, but I made myself push through the first couple of weeks, just to say that I tried.

However, once I reached the end of the first week, something strange happened. I felt like I had done something. I felt like I could do it for another week. So that’s exactly what I did that week. And the week after. And the week after. And so on.

The hardest part of those weeks was week 5. That was the week where my mind and my body decided that we were in this thing for good. Running had become a new part of my life, and I wasn’t about to let go of it. Right about now, this post might sound a bit too sentimental and cheesy. But that’s okay, because it’s the truth!

So, today I went for my run. Run #27 out of 27. I’ve looked ahead on my calendar the past few months, and thought how far away today seemed. But, just like other days, this one finally arrived, and I was ready for it! So, I got started on week 9, run 3: running for 30 minutes with no breaks.

During those 30 minutes, the strangest things happened. My iPod broke. It started snowing. It stopped snowing and rained a little. The sun came out and warmed me so much I had to take of my jacket. Claire stopped talking.

But I overcame all these things, because I’ve learned how to cope with obstacles during the past 60 days. I realize that persevering is more important than getting bogged down by your surroundings. You can’t choose what happens to you, but you choose how you respond to what happens. This might be one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in my life. Perseverance. I only hope that others will be impacted and choose to persevere no matter what happens. A Bible verse that has really helped me in the past few weeks is Hebrews 10:36:

”You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.”

So, these are my closing words for this part of my journey. Thanks for joining me as I’ve progressed, and I hope you’ll choose to join me when it’s time to take another big step. As for you, keep it up, and remember that your journey, no matter how large it may be, all Starts with 1 Step.

Week 9, Run 2

****BLOG UPDATE: The past 8 weeks have been a blast! I’ve had the time of my life running and seeing where all my journey takes me. Sadly, I have been becoming more and more busy as of late. Due to this, from now on, I will only be updating my blog about half as often as I have been. I don’t have a strict schedule to follow, so I’ll just upload as I have time! Thanks so much for following me, and I hope we continue to have tons of fun in the weeks to come!****

Alrighty! It’s week 9, and that means I’m becoming a “pro” runner! It makes me excited that, whereas several weeks ago I had trouble lasting the whole time running, now my biggest problem is to finish the run without getting bored! :D

Aside from boredom, today’s run went extremely well! Simply thinking about the fact I’m running 30 minutes straight gives me the energy I need to continue! Also, along with running for 30 minutes, I achieved a new distance record! Instead of my (becomingly) normal 3 laps around the park, I made it through 3 ½ laps today before Claire told me I had finished! I’m not exactly sure of the distance in terms of numbers, but I’m definitely improving!

I don’t have much else to report for today, except that Friday is the big day! I can’t wait to be able to say I’ve stuck with it and actually finished this program!

Week 9, Run 1

A day off of school! I thought I would be sleeping rather late this morning, but my body decided it was ready to run nice and early, and I guess I’m fine with that!

So, today marks the beginning of week 9, a milestone I never thought I would attain! 30 minutes of running was a feat I could barely manage back when I ran cross country back in junior high. So I headed outside in my t-shirt and shorts today, ready to aim for success!

I almost felt horrified when Claire’s voice announced on the “prep talk” that she would only be talking to me every 10 minutes (as opposed to the normal 5). I didn’t want to go for such extended periods of time without hearing how far I had gone! But I decided that it might actually make the run seem shorter if I heard from her less often.

Also, today I ran with my dad’s GPS-enabled phone in-hand, to see how far I was running. My goal was to at least hit the 4-kilometer mark before my run was over.

So I started running! And running… and even more running. At about the 12-minute mark, I started to feel side stitches. I haven’t had much of a problem with side stitches, so I tried to slow down my breathing and take nice, deep breaths. Thankfully, the stiches went away almost instantly, so I continued my run!

Boy, 30 minutes can go so slow, but then fly by! That’s what happened today, at least. Once I heard Claire’s voice tell me I had finished, I felt amazing! I was still apprehensive though, as I worried I hadn’t run far enough. So, once I looked down at the phone, I saw that I had run 4.5 kilometers! That means I have 4 weeks to add half a kilometer to my time! I think this will be easily attainable!

With only 2 runs left in this program, I feel as if I’m actually accomplishing something impossible! This only goes to show that my long journey, no matter how long it seemed at first, all started with 1 step!

Catching Up... Again!

I promise I haven’t been making a habit of this, but… Okay, I really don’t have an excuse. So, I guess we’ll just have another “catch up” post today!

Week 8, Run 2

Wednesday’s run went well! Not a whole lot to say about it, since it was pretty much typical. My biggest problem with long runs has become boredom. I’ve listened to all my songs so many times that my runs all feel the same. So I’m working on changing it up!!

Week 8, Run 3

I went to school for only half a day on Friday, so I pushed my run back to early afternoon. I’m sure glad I did, because Friday was an absolutely gorgeous day! In fact, it was the first time since starting “Get Running” that I’ve run in shorts and a t-shirt. The temperature was perfect, the sun was shining, and I was looking forward to my run. These factors only helped contribute to an absolutely perfect run! I only hope that the wonderful weather of spring brings many more great runs!

Catching Up!

Welcome! I feel as if I’ve been gone forever! It was just time for an impromptu break from the online world, and it’s been quite beneficial! I’ve gotten so much done this past week, and my running has even improved! Well, I’ll start with Friday (I’ve decided to put off the Health Check until this Thursday) and work my way up to today! 3 blog posts in one! :D

Week 7, Run 3

I woke up Friday morning to a bunch of birthday balloons surrounding my bed! Two months ago, if I had told myself that I would be running 2.5 miles on my 18^th birthday, I’m sure I would have laughed. But that’s exactly what I did! I felt great all day, having made it through four 25-minute runs! I even pushed myself to achieve the same distance goal that I had reached on Wednesday! I’m counting that as a large success in my book!

Back & Forth 7

Only 2 weeks til I finish the program, 6 weeks til my first 5k, and 12 weeks until I can supposedly run a 10k! The numbers are slowly decreasing, and I’m getting more and more excited! I’m not fully sure what I’m going to be doing after I get done with Bridge to 10k, but I know that it will definitely involve me working to improve my running!

This past week made me feel rather successful! I ran a total of 75 minutes (the first week I was barely running a total of 24! That’s less than ONE of my runs this past week!), and felt absolutely amazing! As winter slowly turns to spring, my runs are filled with just a little more light each time I go running!

I’m not sure how I’ll be at the end of next week (actually, it’s this week, but who’s keeping track?), but I can definitely see myself improving on my distance!

Week 8, Run 1

Yesterday’s run had an added surprise! A few weeks ago, my neighbor who’s a few years younger than me got started using Get Running. His sister, who is my age, decided to go running with him, and they’ve been running partners since! And since the three of us are all running, my sister decided to start running, too! It’s become an epidemic!

So, we all decided to get up nice and early yesterday to go running before school! Talk about encouragement! The four of us all ran together and witnessed the sunrise, and got to have some healthy fun along with our chats! I was having so much fun that I forgot how long I had been running. I honestly had absolutely no problems finishing the 28-minute run!

My pace was kind of slow yesterday, but I still ran a couple of miles (I think), which is 2 miles farther than I was regularly running 2 months ago! My, how things have changed, and for the good this time!

Motivation Tuesday… is gonna have to be pushed back until next week. Sorry, I’ve run out of time and need to prepare for tomorrow’s run!

If you have any doubts about starting a running program, push them all aside and get outside! There’s no shame in walking, hobbling, or bouncing around! Know that you can ALWAYS do it, and remember that your journey, no matter how long it may be, all starts with 1 step!

Week 7, Run 2

All day, I’ve been guilty of the fact that I’m a living contradiction. Yesterday, during my motivational talk, I said, and I quote, “My morning runs have turned from agony to pure amazingness!”

Yeah, that’s a lie. After today’s run, it is! :D

On Monday (just a refresher; all my runs are 25 minutes straight this week), I felt great during the run. My legs felt as if they had plenty of energy to spare. So, I decided to put some of that extra energy to work during today’s run!

Remember in week 5 run 2, when I was running an entire lap around the park, per 8-minute run? Well, since the times of my runs have increased, my pace has steadily decreased. Lately, it has taken me closer to 10 minutes to run a single lap. This isn’t a bad thing for now, but I knew that I was going to need to start working on my speed (just a little) for my 5k next month (?!?!). So that’s what I did this morning!

I started lap 1 at a steady pace, feeling good and excited for my run! At the 5-minute cue, I started to feel a little bit tired, but still had plenty of energy. The 10-minute mark came and went, and so did I! By the time I only had 10 minutes, however, my legs were ready to walk. But I wasn’t! So I kept pushing on!  With only 10 minutes left, I had just finished my 2^nd lap, and my pace had considerably slowed from when I started. I knew that, if I let my legs go slow on the last lap, I wouldn’t make it any further than usual, so I made myself up the ante a lot to get through the last lap.

10 minutes later, I had broken my distance record by half a lap (.4-ish miles)! I think I’m actually improving on my already-mind-blowing 25-minute runs!

So, my legs have burned immensely from today’s run, and I’ve even had a little trouble walking. But it’s all good. I know that I’ll be more than ready to get back out there and show myself what I’ve got on Friday!

If you’re new at this, stick with it; you most definitely won’t regret it! Start as slow as you need, and always remember that your journey, no matter how large it may be, all starts with 1 step…

Motivation Tuesday!

Week 7… I’m still shocked that I have only 3 weeks of running until I can (supposedly) run a 5k without stopping! After my run yesterday, my family commented that they can’t believe that I’ve actually stuck with this program! And honestly, neither can I! :D

In past weeks, Tuesdays have been Challenge Days. But, as I’m down to my last 3 weeks of normal blogging (sniff, sniff), I think I’ve challenged myself enough; now  it’s time to work on any future newcomers. Long after I finish this program, it is my hope that many more people will stumble on this blog and decide to start running! (If you are one of those people, please keep reading!)

So, for the next 3 weeks, we’re going to have MOTIVATION TUESDAYS!

Now, buckle up, get in a good mood, and get ready to be motivated!!

This week we’re going to focus on legs!

As you go from nothing to running, a big transformation is going to take place in your limbs; particularly, in your legs. The first week of running, my legs were not used to being up and moving, so they instantly put up a rebellion. By the second run of week 1, I getting out of bed was like climbing a mountain, and walking through the house was the equivalent of swimming across the ocean. I was in AGONY.

Week 2: My legs started realizing that I wasn’t going to quit running, so they quit the rebellion and gave in to my objections. (I later found out that during this time, my legs were building up muscle that hadn’t existed before, so it was a painful process. I guess that, when you start running, your muscle “rips” apart to make room for new muscles to join the party! It’s painful, but makes the difference in your running.)

Week 3: My legs no longer hurt. In fact, I quit dreading my morning runs and was ready for them.

Jump ahead to weeks 6 and 7: My legs LOVE running! I feel a “burn” after each run, but it only excites me even more for the next one! My morning runs have turned from agony to pure amazingness!

I’m not guaranteeing that you’re going to see the exact same results, but you’ll never know how it will turn out for you until you get out and try! If you’re in pain the first week, you might be discouraged, but never give up!

I hope you get outside (or on the treadmill) and find out what YOU are capable of achieving! Do your best and always keep persevering! And most of all, do something great for yourself! Don’t be discouraged and always remember that your journey, no matter how daunting it may at first seem, or how long it is, it all starts with 1 step!

Week 7, Run 1

Another Monday, another 3 weeks of running! Week 7 is finally here, meaning that I’m down to my last 9 runs!

This morning’s run was pretty much amazing! My amazing little sister (okay, not so little; we’re only a year apart) decided to come running with me. I’m pretty sure that running with a partner makes the running time seem half as long as normal! Bekah ran with me half way before deciding to head home (which was about 15 minutes of running for her; there’s no way I could have done that when I started!). By the time I started the second half of running, I was feeling energized and pumped about continuing! The rest of the run was pretty uneventful, as both my legs and lungs felt very good!

I can’t believe that I’m able to say that 25 minutes really isn’t that bad! Only 7 weeks ago, I could just manage 1 minute! I think I can definitely agree that this program is AMAZING and should be followed by anyone who wants to get off the couch and on the road!

Back & Forth 6!

These past 168 hours have seemed like the longest in my life. I can’t even begin to remember everything I’ve done, and it’s all been less than a week ago! Which is why I’m going to bed at 9 o’clock tonight.

Improvement is a word that has definitely been more firmly added to my vocabulary this week! It seems like the nerves have just stopped before each run, and I actually look forward to the next one! Also, I ran my first 25-minute run this week… inhaler-less!  My distance is slowly improving (there’s that word again!), and my lungs and legs feel great! This only goes to show that there are benefits to sticking to a good running regimen!

So, if you’re just starting running, hang in there! I promise that you’re going to feel like a new person in just a short amount of time! The first few weeks may feel terrible, and you might even have days when you feel like you can’t walk another step. It’s what you do during those days that counts the most! Keep persevering, because I know you can do it!

This week’s Back & Forth has been a tad bit short, but I’m ready for bed (and another week of wonderful runs!) Have an absolutely amazing week, and always remember that your journey, no matter the distance (or how daunting it may seem), all starts with 1 step…

Week 6, Run 3

Running is a lot like raising a child; it’s a lot more fun to talk about than it is to actually do. :D

Surprisingly, I hardly worried when I saw that today’s run was 25 minutes straight. In fact, I actually looked forward to it!

I got up earlier than normal this morning (6am), since today’s session was going to last 35 minutes, and I wanted to have some extra time to rest before school. I headed out in the dark, “warmed up” for 5 minutes, and then started running!

Coach Claire came on with a cue after 5 minutes, and I felt great! I thought back on how, 5 weeks ago, my breathing was awful. I was hacking and wheezing my way through all my runs! Then, I remembered that I’d forgot my inhaler today! But my breathing felt completely fine! If you remember a few weeks ago, I forgot my inhaler on one of my runs and suffered quite a bit. After that run, I had to hurry back to use my inhaler, since I thought my lungs would explode! But today, I didn’t even feel like I needed any medication all through my run, and I even didn’t use it once I got back home! Talk about exciting!

The rest of the run went very well! After Wednesday’s run, I learned that I really need to pace myself. So that’s just what I did today: I kept my legs at a nice and slow pace the whole time.

I’m now at the point where my runs are all continuous and slowly increase to 30 minutes! I can hardly believe I’m down to the last 3 weeks of the program! This has all been so fun!

Health Check 5!

Well, the groundhog didn’t see his shadow. At least, not around here, he didn’t! So, if that means 6 more weeks of the weather we’ve been having, I am completely okay with it! :D

Lookin’ at my handy dandy calendar, I can see that it’s Thursday. And you know what that means! You’re right, it’s Health Check 5! Let’s get going!

WEIGHT: I completely goofed and forgot to check my weight this morning, so I’ll just weight (get it?!) til next week to update.

WAIST: 37” Same as the last two weeks! This is becoming quite humorous. So, this leaves me at 1 ½” to date.

ARMS: 13 ½” Again, same as the last two weeks! This keeps me at 2” to date.

NECK: 16” Headed down from last weeks 16 ½”! So, now I’m at 1” to date!

CALVES: 17” Up a half inch from last week, and I am definitely counting this as muscle! Haha! This puts me at a gain of ½” to date.

I’m happy with this week’s results! Then again, simply feeling healthier really contributes to my outlook! I’m looking forward to future weeks! Until then, remember that your journey, no matter how long it may be, all starts with 1 step!

Week 6, Run 2

I can’t believe this morning was this morning! My, how it’s been a long day!

I had a dream last night that I completely slept through my alarm, missed my run and, in turn, had an awful day because of it! I think it’s kind of funny that even my subconscious is actually looking forward to the runs! I guess I’ve finally found the kind of exercise I actually enjoy :D

This morning’s run was two 10-minute runs with a 3-minute break between. Before starting this morning, I thought, haha, I just ran 20 minutes straight less than a week ago with ease, so doing it in two steps will be twice as easy, right? WRONG! I got overconfident during the first run, and over-paced myself. The result? I didn’t have enough energy to keep up that kind of speed during my second run. My legs screamed at me to stop and walk for just a couple of seconds, but I did my best to force them on. It also helped that the song “Slow Motion” was playing during this time (the song mentioned on my Motivation page). It gave me just the boost of inspiration that I needed to keep my legs goin’!

On paper, today’s run might seem like a drawback, but I’m most definitely counting it as a big step forward! I finally pushed myself to the point where I felt I had no remaining energy, and then some! My legs have felt the results of today’s run all through the day, and I love it!

*****BREAKING UPDATE!*****

Okay, so it’s not too breaking, but I had to keep your attention for just a couple more paragraphs. :D Today, my family started a “Biggest Loser” challenge to see who could lose the most weight. I know that weight loss isn’t my main goal in running, but I figure that this might motivate me to stay on a healthy eating track while I run!

I’m not sure how this will work yet, but I’ll try to post my standings in the contest each week (most likely on Saturdays). I’m up against some tough competition (hehe!), but I’m takin’ them all down! The competition ends sometime in April, which will end just around the time I get a good start on Bridge to 10K!

As always, keep up all the great work you do! Keep persevering on your journey and remember that no matter how long your journey may be, it all starts with 1 step!

Off-Day Exercise!

Happy Tuesday, all! It’s been a stressful day, so I’m glad I at least I have a run in the morning! WHOA! Did I just say that?! This running program is doing strange things to me! To think that I’m looking forward to EXERCISE??? Weird!

That brings us to today’s challenge! I can gladly say that my legs are at the point where they don’t hurt during my days between runs. This has led me to the great idea that I can do some other sort of exercise during my off days!

I don’t care if I go walking, or work on strength, or if I even do a “no presh sesh,” but I would like to keep myself moving, even on the days I don’t have to exercise! For this reason, I’m implementing today’s challenge:

Do at least 15 minutes of some kind of exercise 3 days a week, on non-running days.

I’m really looking forward to this one, as it gives me another reason to enjoy the beautiful weather we’ve been having lately!

If you are a “couch dweller,” I don’t look down on you at all; I’ve spent a lot of my own life on the couch! However, I fully encourage you to get out a few days a week, may it be only a few minutes here and there, to get some fresh air and exercise! Don’t worry about what you can’t accomplish; just do what you can! After all, every journey, no matter how enormous, starts with 1 step!

Week 6, Run 1

This morning was SOOO beautiful! God is the BEST artist!

First thing this morning, I found myself smiling about today’s run. At the beginning of it, when Coach Claire was briefing me on the run, she referred to the 5-minute runs as short! And to think that when I started, 5 minutes seemed like an eternity! I guess it only means that I’m improving, even when the steps toward this success seem slow.

This was my 4^th “pre-sun” morning run, and I’m feeling a lot less nervous about running in the dark. In fact, I look forward to seeing the sunrise at the end of my runs! The beauty of the morning light is another motivation to get myself up and out in the morning. J

So, for the actual run: today’s workout was a 5-minute, 8-minute, 5-minute run with 3-minute walks between. I was looking ahead to today’s run as being easy, after last Friday’s (AMAZING!) 20-minute run. I just knew that I had to pace myself on the shorter runs, or I would use up all my energy before my last run. So that’s exactly what I did. During the first run, I felt that I had plenty of energy to go a lot faster, but I still made myself go slow. Thankfully, I had just enough energy to zoom through the last run. I even “sprinted” the last 10 seconds!

It’s like a miracle that I no longer gasp for breath, and I actually enjoy breathing in the fresh air while I’m running along! Also, my legs even feel good after a nice run, and I feel so much more energized throughout the day!

If you’re reading this, and you’ve just started the Get Running program, you’re in for a wonderful ride! There will be a lot of ups and a lot of downs, but thankfully, the ups always outweigh the downs! For me, the first two weeks were pretty much one giant down, but it’s been a great upward climb since then! Again, if you’re new at this, keep your spirits high. You CAN do it! Always remember that your journey, no matter how large it may be, starts with 1 step!

Back & Forth 5!

What a week this has been! Just yesterday alone, I ran for 20 minutes straight, finished my K-LOVE 30-Day Challenge, got to see my Mom’s entire family (first time since ’08), and finished our family’s long-sought after Calvin and Hobbes collection! And yesterday was just a single day from this week!

On the only down-note to this post, my eating this week has not been healthy. At all. I had fast food twice this week (funny, how I would have considered this a good thing a month ago!). Next week, I’m going to focus a lot more on what I put into this body of mine, so I can continue on my journey to great health!

The biggest lesson I learned this week was that, no matter how tired my legs tell me they feel, I still have enough energy to finish the run. It’s all a game of “mind over matter,” and if your mind knows you can do it, then you definitely can!

I’ve spent all yesterday and today with family members (Happy 70^th birthday, Nanah!), so I’m quite a bit worn out and ready to hit the sack. I don’t know how next week can be better than this week, but I don’t doubt that it will!

May God bless you in all your endeavors! Remember Him as your go on your journey, and also remember that no matter how far your journey may be, it all starts with 1 step!

Week 5, Run 3 (The Big Run!)

I’ve got to say that God has definitely been helping me with my runs; I’ve yet to have a day where the conditions were too bad to go running! This fact has helped me greatly, as I fear I’ll have less discipline if I get off track with my running.

This morning was no exception to the nice weather! It was almost warm enough for me to run in a t-shirt, even in the dark (I still chose sweatshirt, too)! I got ready as quick as possible, so I wouldn’t be too awake before my (GASP) 20-minute run!

I arrived at the normal time and set out on my warm-up walk. It surprised me that coach Claire came on to give me a “pep talk” before my warm-up was even over! But, before I knew it, she told me it was time to start running. So I started running. And running. And running. Before I knew it, Claire told me that I’d already run for 5 minutes! I must have spaced out in that time, because before I thought about how long I’d been running, the 10-minute cue came on! Then the 15-minute cue! I didn’t even have time to worry about how far I’d gone when coach Claire told me that I’d made it! I didn’t have to count down the minutes or anything! Claire told me something special, and it’s made me feel amazing! (If you wanna find out what she said, you’re gonna have to run this run :D)

One thing I’ve noticed: my breathing has gotten SOO much better over the past 5 weeks! My resting heart rate has definitely lowered, and I no longer gasp for air during my runs. It’s absolutely wonderful!

My legs have been tired today, but I’m ecstatic that I can feel the results of my run today!

One thing I can say: I’m a real runner now!

Keep up your own good work, and remember that no matter how long the journey, it all starts with 1 step!

Health Check 4!

Good evening! Or morning, or whenever you’re reading this!

What’s today? It’s Thursday! And you know what that means…. Health Check 4!

Here’s the measurements!

WEIGHT: I’m down 1 pound this week! That puts me at 222 lb, with a total of 3 lb. lost to date.

WAIST: 37”. Same as last week, which keeps my total at 1 ½” to date.

ARMS: 13 ½”. Still the same as last week, keeping my total at 2” to date.

NECK: 16 ½”. Funny! Since it’s the same as last week, I’ve lost ½” to date.

CALVES: 16 ½”. They’ve gone up an inch bringing me back to 0” to date.

So, I’m not sure if some of these measurements are supposed to be going up, or if they’re supposed to be going down. Either way, I just report ‘em as they are!

Hope you have a great day!

Week 5, Run 2

You know that feeling you get when the President tells you that you’ve just won the Congressional Medal of Honor? Yeah, me either. But that’s the kind of rush I felt this morning after my run!

I’m still dealing with the fact that I have to get up so much earlier than I’m used to, and my body doesn’t like it one bit, but I’m coping with it! Thankfully, my brain is usually still sleeping, so my run is almost over by the time I’m awake! Also, seeing the sunrise is pretty much  the only motivation for running first thing in the morning, because that phenomena is so beautiful!

As you can see from the picture above, it was nice and dark in the park when I started this morning. My first lap around the park each time I go is a test to see where all the icy spots are. From there, I develop my route and keep reminders in my head as to where I should be running, lest I fall on my behind. :D

In my pre-running days, 8 minutes was nothing! It was just one segment of a TV show to sit through on the couch. In running minutes, though, 8 “normal” minutes is somewhere between 3 and 4 lifetimes. At least, that’s what it felt like!

But, thanks to the afore-mentioned “not-awake-ness” of my mind on early-morning runs, the 8-minute runs seemed easy! During both runs today, I made it all the way around the park, which is quite a distance (for me) for 8 minutes!

My legs have been sore throughout today, but I think they’ve completely deserved it! I’m going to let them rest before I get back out there and try to survive Friday morning’s (GASP) 20-minute run!!

If you’re just starting and need motivation, don’t worry at all! Do what you can handle and take it as it comes! Do your best and always remember that every journey, no matter what the distance, starts with 1 step. God bless you!

How are you?

Here’s a typical conversation:

Person #1: Hey, (name here)!

Person #2: Oh, hey (name here)!

Person #1: How are you?

Person #2 Good! And you?

Person #1 Good!

*End of conversation*

Really? I look up at this and think, Gosh, that is so insincere. It would be stupid if people actually talked like that. Well, they do! I do.

I think you can see where this week’s challenge is heading. And you might think, isn’t a weekly challenge supposed to benefit my health in some way? What does all this have to do with my health? Well, this week’s challenge won’t benefit your physical health, but you can bet it’ll impact the way you live socially. Imagine having a real conversation with somebody! Instead of talking with one-word answers, let’s try to be REAL!

Still clueless? Well, here’s today’s challenge:

When somebody asks you “How are you?” you are to respond with AT LEAST 5 words.

As a society, we each speak thousands of words every single day, so now it shouldn’t be hard to add 5 more here and there!

In order to be sincere people, we have to build relationships that last. Admit it or not, great relationships aren’t built by saying words like “Just fine,” “good,” and “great!”

This week’s challenge might pull me (and whoever chooses to follow) out of our comfort zones, but by following it, a difference just might be made in the world.

Time to be sincere!

Week 5, Run 1

Week 5? Are you kidding! I know that I’m supposed to be inspirational and optimistic in all my blog posts, but, when I started this program, I honestly didn’t think I would make it this far! But now here I am, and I’m one run away from being half way through the program!

This morning, I tried something new. As I may or may not have said last week (I can’t remember), I started my new schedule that requires me to be at school 2 hours earlier than I have been since I started the program. Since it’s mid-winter here, that means that I have to start running before sunlight! I was really intimidated about running this morning, but as you’re about to read, I had nothing to worry about!

I set my alarm for 6 this morning, so I could be ready go and have plenty of time to get ready for school. So, I woke up and was ready at 6:10, but outside was completely dark (I checked, and sunrise wasn’t til 7:02 today). I was nervous about my “pre-sun run,” so I stalled until 6:30, when trace amount of dark light (if there is such a thing) were starting to show through the trees. Knowing I couldn’t stall any longer because of school, I left the house then.

Cars seldom drive down our country road, but I wore a reflective vest and carried a flashlight just to be safe. And it turned out I needed them, because several people must have left for work during my run! I’m glad I took the vest and light, so I’ll definitely be using them on future runs until I’m running in brighter conditions.

Now on to today’s run: today was three 5-minute runs, with 3 minute walks between them. After last week, I was unsure if my legs would adapt to the 5-minute runs, but I can now rest assured that they did! The first two runs were easy peasy, and the third run was more difficult, but still do-able!

Even though today’s run was easy, I started to worry about Friday’s run. I thought, In four days, I have to run 20 minutes, which is today’s run PLUS another one, with no rests! How will I survive? Honestly, I don’t know how I’ll survive, but I know that I CAN DO IT! I’m not going to worry about it, because I’ll have spent FIVE WEEKS getting my legs ready for it.

THIS IS POSSIBLE. DON’T GIVE UP!

Back & Forth 4

I ran my first night-time run this week!

Back and Forth 4? How can this be? Didn’t he skip last week, and the week before that was Back and Forth 1? I’m so confused!

Well, don’t be! I’m just using the number to describe what week this post is describing (should have thought of that two weeks ago, huh?).

What a week this has been! At the start of it, I was skiing down wintry slopes in Michigan, then came home to spring-like weather, and then watched it shift back to an icy winter at my house!

I feel like I’ve made a ton of improvement this week as far as the running goes. My legs have felt achy (in a good way) after each run, so that they feel stronger by the next time around. Also, the time for my runs almost doubled, shifting from 9 to 16 minutes! I didn’t think it would be an easy feat, but with patience and endurance, I was able to conquer every challenge before me! It’s been said time and time again, but the makers of this app sure knew what they were doing when they designed it.

This week, I’ve also sustained my first athletic injury. My toe and foot are in pain, but I smile when I think that I actually “earned” this injury as a “reward” for running!

Taking a look ahead to next week, I will be running the ginormous 20 minute run! Monday and Wednesday will be shorter (I smile when I type shorter, thinking how 5 minutes now seems short after week 1’s grueling 1-minute runs) runs that work up to the large run on Friday. I know I’ll be nervous about finishing it, but so many others that have followed the program have said that the large task is completely do-able.

In terms of weather, I have no idea what this week will bring, but I have full and complete intentions of running 20 minutes on Friday! Woohoo!

As you go about this next week, remember to do your best at everything! Don’t be worried about any impossibly large tasks before you; just step back and take them a moment at a time, because every journey, no matter how large, starts with 1 step.

Week 4, Run 3

Boy, oh boy! Guess what? In exactly 1 week, I’m scheduled to be running for 20 minutes straight with no stops. NO STOPS! I’m so pumped about this! I cannot wait to get out there next Friday!

I have some more good news! For the first time in a long time, I have an injury caused by doing something athletic! I’ve got a pinched nerve in my big toe on my right foot (from it being crammed in a ski boot for 2 days and then running on it), and it’s been causing a lot of pain the past few days. My mother asked me why I was so happy about having a foot injury, and I joyfully explained that I got an injury from actually DOING something (I’d rather have a pinched nerve from skiing and running than a strained arm from reaching too far for the remote. Heehee!).

That all being said, I promised myself last night that, no matter how bad my foot hurt this morning, I was going to run, even if I had to hobble through it. After icing it, heating it, elevating it, and having a nice foot rub, I felt like I could take on the world when I woke up this morning. During today’s run, my toe only bothered me twice, and both of the pain “spasms” were completely bearable. I sure hope it feels better in time for me to continue running on Monday!

I let my sister use my car to drive to school today, as I’m on finals break this weekend, and too late realized that I’d left my earbuds in the car. After searching the house for earphones of any kind, all I could find was a plug-in speaker for my iPod, which I ended up using for today’s run. It didn’t take the place of my earbuds, but I liked being able to hear my breathing and my steps for once!

I found that I was right on Wednesday’s post. After having 2 days of rest from donating blood, I felt much better this morning. I breezed right through the first three runs (3 minutes, 5 minutes, and 3 minutes), and I only had slight troubles running the last 5 minute run. My lungs felt great, but my legs were tired. To help me out, I pictured my sisters and friends following me in their car, cheering me on (from Monday’s run)! Just by changing my thinking, I was able to finish the run with energy to spare!

I can’t wait til the next run on Monday! I’m really excited that I’ve kept with the program this long, and I can’t wait til I can finally say that I finished it, 5 weeks from now!

As always, keep up the great work, and remember that every one of your runs starts with 1 step!

Health Check 3!

Good day to everybody! Time for a Thursday Health Check!

Before I do measurements, I should take note of something strange, but wonderful. I’ve noticed that, since I’ve started Get Running, my eating habits have been gradually improving. For instance, since I’m required to get up earlier for running, I’ve been regularly eating a healthy breakfast each day, which has lessened my appetite for junkier and “unfilling” foods throughout the rest of the day. Also, since my challenge to drink 8 glasses of water a day, I’ve almost completely stopped drinking unhealthy drinks! I limit myself to small amounts of soda pop each week, and I drink so much water that I haven’t been bothered by my smaller intakes of caffeine. So then, maybe running is actually twofold: it not only helps me exercise, but makes me feel better about eating healthier!

That being said, I’m really hoping that some of my healthier decisions will be reflected by today’s health check! Haha!

Alright, here’s today’s measurements:

WEIGHT: I lost 0 lb. this week. On the brighter side of things, I gained 0 lb. this week, too! I’m definitely okay with that! This means that I have lost 2 pounds to date. I’m at 223 right now, and hopefully heading down!

WAIST: 37” That’s down an inch and a half from when I first started! So the total loss for my waist is 1 ½ inches to date.

ARMS: 13 ½”, each down an inch in the past 2 weeks! Which brings my totally arm loss to 2” to date.

NECK: 16 ½” That’s half an inch I’m never gonna welcome back! Woo! So that means that my neck has lost ½” to date.

CALVES: 15 ½”, both down from two weeks ago, when they measured 16 ½” each! So that brings my calves down 2” to date.

I lost all the way around the board this week! I know that can’t happen every week, but I’m enjoying how good I feel to pull out the tape measure to see how well I’ve been doing! Keep up the great work with all that you do, and always remember that every journey, no matter how long, starts with 1 step! 

Week 4, Run 2

Another cold day! I can’t say that I enjoy running in the cold, but I LOVE being able to say that I ran in the cold! Five weeks ago, I couldn’t imagine myself walking, let alone running in the winter time! I’ve always used the good ‘ole “I’m asthmatic and can’t breathe in cold weather” excuse, but I think I’m getting over it!

So now we’ve come to today’s run. I woke up at the usual time this morning (that usual time will be switching from 8am to 6am next week, unfortunately), and got ready! I’ve been so blessed that the weather has been almost perfect every time I’ve run. So, I got to take advantage of another beautiful, yet bitterly cold, morning.

The first 3-minute run was cold, as my body was still warming up from the cold. However, the first 5-minute run made me realize how difficult today’s run was going to be. My legs felt completely different from last run, like I was depleted of all energy in my legs! Boy, did I welcome those walks between the runs!

I kept going through my runs, telling myself that it was all possible. And, like all the other runs, I was right! (Everyone keeps saying the makers of the program knew what they were doing when they made it, and I completely agree.) The last half of the run almost killed me (at least, it felt like it), but I just slowed my pace until I felt comfortable with it. Finally, after 31 grueling minutes, I finished today’s run and walks! The rest of the day, I felt so tired, but oh so good!

***CONFESSION TIME: I went into today’s run knowing that I would feel extremely tired. You see, last night, I got to donate blood on the spur of the moment. I had been eligible to give since December, but had problems last time I attempted. When I tried to give blood in December, I was unable to pass the physical exam because of my heart rate. I was so out of shape that my resting heart rate was almost 120 beats per minute. However, last night, after 4 ½ weeks of running and healthy eating, I am SO proud to report that my resting heart rate was down to 75 beats per minute. I’ve never been so happy to be stuck with a needle! After December’s letdown, I promised to do my best to lower my heart rate, because it means so much for me to be able to donate to help save peoples’ lives.

So, even though this morning’s run was extremely rough, I felt so good about it! I knew that I would be drained of energy (along with a pint of blood), so I can now rest assured that I made it through today’s run! I expect Friday’s run to be a lot smoother, so I’ll report back after my run! See ya!

Week 4, Run 1

Catching Up

Wow! What a weekend this has been! Shortly after leaving for Michigan on Friday (an 8-hour trip), our bus broke down on the side of the road. Four hours and a different bus later, we headed on our way! I got to ski with all my friends on Saturday and Sunday, making this weekend pretty much perfect.

As far as exercising, I feel like my calves got a couple pretty good workouts in the ski boots. After the weekend of worship and skiing, we made it back last night just in time for me to start my run…

Starting Week 4

The sun had already gone down upon our arrival home from skiing, so I hatched a plan for my run. I asked my younger sister to follow me in the car to shine headlights on my path, and she happily agreed. Pretty soon, she had enlisted two of her friends and my older sister to join her on this run!

So I started out running week 4 in the dark, a bit nervous about the thought of running 5 minute-segments. With the headlights behind me, I started into my first 3-minute run, which turned out to be a breeze! After my minute and a half cool-down, coach Claire told me it was time for my first 5-minute run!

The 5-minute runs seemed super easy last night, because I had the support of the four girls in the car behind me, who rolled their windows down and shouted their encouragements at me. What fun! I only wish everybody could have their own person cheerleaders when running. It made me feel great, and the my longest run yet seemed surprisingly short and easy!

I found the 5-minute runs pretty easy, and my 3-minute runs (my older sister joined me for one of them, and we had a blast!)  were a piece of cake! I can’t wait to do the run tomorrow!

Tuesday Challenge?

Today is Tuesday, which means that I’m supposed to present a challenge for myself. I have some trouble coming up with my ideas, but I finally came up with one this weekend. However, I think I’ll test it out this week before making it an official challenge.

Even though there’s not a new challenge this week, I’m gonna keep going with my old ones! Remember them? They are:

-Drink 8 glasses of water a day

-Get 9 hours of sleep a night

Good luck to everybody else running, and be sure to stay healthy and safe! Don’t be discouraged, and always remember that every journey, no matter how large, starts with 1 step!

Week 3, Run 3

I couldn't feel my face after today's run! I actually felt a lot happier than I look :)

I’m sitting on my couch right now, wishing that I could sleep the rest of today. However, I’ve gotta get up in just a few minutes to pack for a skiing trip that I’m headed to in just a couple hours. I guess I’m okay with that :D

I guess today’s run was practice for the cold this weekend, because it was absolutely freezing out! Ice and snow were on the road as well, causing me to slip a few times (but don’t worry, I just kept plodding along!).

As far as the run, I feel like I’m really starting to improve! At the beginning of this week, 3 minutes seemed like an eternity. Today, however, I was caught off guard when coach Claire said that I was already half way through each of my three-minute runs! Maybe my legs and lungs are finally starting to get used to this whole concept of running.

This will be the last post I post this week as I will be in Michigan with my (awesome) youth group. I’ll be back Monday, ready to tackle another week of running!

As always, remember that, no matter how far the distance, every journey Starts With 1 Step…

Health Check 2!

Talk about a whirlwind of weather! Just yesterday it felt like spring outside during my run, but I woke up to snow this morning… I guess that’s Illinois for ya!

It’s time for health check #2! I’m sorry to say that I have misplaced the measuring tape, so I’ll have to wait to check up on my measures until next week. So, that only leaves me to report weight, which I will happily do!

Weight: Stepped on the scale this morning, and to my delight, I’ve lost 3 pounds! I plan on only going down from here!

Well, there’s not much to report, but what I can report is definitely good!

Until tomorrow…

Week 3, Run 2

I remembered my inhaler today! That in itself pretty much sums up how today’s run went. But I should probably elaborate a bit more so this blog post isn’t only 2 lines long.

I woke up in the middle of the night last night to the sound of rain tapping out my window. I think I even groaned a little as I fell back asleep, dreading the prospect of being drenched as soon as I got out of bed.

However, as soon as my alarm went off, I forced myself out of bed and out of the house. To my surprise, the rain had stopped completely, and the weather felt almost spring-like. I took advantage of the calm and ran, and today’s run ended up being so much better than Monday’s!

As I walked up to my house after running, the rain started to fall again! I guess that even God is encouraging me to get fit :D

Tonight, about 2 inches of snow are supposed to fall and freeze throughout the day tomorrow. I only hope that I can still run Friday! (I’m sure I’ll find a way to run even if it does, so I’m encouraging the weather to go ahead and let loose!)

Be back here tomorrow for Health Check Day #2! As always, remember that every journey, no matter how large, starts with 1 step!