Health Goals: Learning to Run

My fellow fitness inspiration, Teresa Jusino, likes to say she didn't want to run unless she's being chased. She's currently working her way through the Couch to 5k Program, just like me! The reason behind Teresa's working out is here.  I've always hated running, but I think it's perhaps it was due to not being able to do it well, and having issues with asthma.

The past several years, I've been working on being able to run 3 miles without falling over. I start, I stop. I have friends with me, I do it by myself. I've even been to a half marathon where I only "ran" the first 3 miles and walked the rest. Last Fall, I did the Run For Your Lives Zombie 5k with several friends.

Near the end of the run. I'm in the back.

Running is a weird little sport. I don't think I really began to enjoy it until last year. I don't think I realized that I had been enjoying it, until I stopped after the Zombie 5k. As I have signed myself up to run the Zombie 5k again(!) I have to keep training.

I still don't really "love" running. My brain finds reasons to stop every second of a run. (Oh, and by run - I mean jog. Cuz yeah, 70 year old speedwalkers are faster than my running pace). "Your earphones are falling out. You should stop and pee. Your nose itches. You're too hungry to run. You're almost at a walk, might as well walk. Something's in your shoe-swear to God. " Amazingly, I have learned that all runners go through this. I don't know why your brain insists on telling you reasons not to run, but it does. It really has turned into a mental exercise more than a physical one. Fascinating. I do, however, want to get to the point where people bliss out, and running turns into a meditative state. I know it happens. I just want to be able to meditate without falling asleep, which is what currently happens to me.

Punky, my running partner.

Another reason why I want to be able to run, and run well - cuz when I'm chased, I want to be able to
outrun what's chasing me. I don't want to sprint for 30 seconds and then be overtaken in an asthmatic fit. You need to be able to run so you can play with dogs, small children, and to outrun zombies chasing you or any other apocalyptic catastrophe. Adrenaline only helps so much.

My running app.

My current goal with running is just to focus on the progression of being able to run 3 miles. Since I'm using a C25K app, my focus is being able to run for different lengths of time each day. Today, I managed to run for 8 minutes twice, with a 3 minutes walking break in between. That's day 1 of week 6. Tomorrow, I'll do day 2 of week 3, and I'll be running for different intervals of 3 minutes or less. No, this isn't normally how you're supposed to do the program. But as I'm on it for about the 4th time in my life, I know I've built up the strength for this, mentally and physically. I also like repeating weeks as necessary. This time around, when I finish week 8, my plan is to then restart using the Zombies, Run! app, so I can practice sprinting away from zombies. (Truly, the best running app out there. ZOMBIES!).

I would like to thank my friends, Genie and Trina for running with me off and on through the past couple years and never laughing at me, or making a disparaging remark. If they hadn't been so supportive, I don't think I would've kept going.