TWO MILES? BEGINNER'S STUFF.

Yesterday I ran two miles without stopping to walk and I'm still alive today to blog about it. I consider this a pretty big success, even if every person I passed on my run thought I looked like I was about to keel over and die (which is probably exactly what they were thinking).

This pretty much sums up my feelings exactly:

5K, schmive-K. I've got this... I think.

JUST KEEP RUNNING...

I'm five weeks into my 5K training and I'm still going strong! I started off dreading having to run for 90 seconds at a time, and now I'm running five minute intervals with no problem. That might not sound like anything to brag about to most people of minor athleticism, but it's pretty darn impressive to me.

My Week 5, Day 3 workout is scheduled for Thursday, and it includes a 2 mile (20 minute) jog with no walk breaks. Intimidating? Absolutely. But I'm also excited to see if I can do it. I WILL do it - because what's 20 minutes of jogging, really? Especially when this is the scenery on your route:

And when you have awesome all-black running shoes like these:

I'll post another 5K update in the next week or so with my progress - I can't believe I'm getting so close to the end of the 8 week program. Next challenge: running a 10K. Yikes!

5K, HERE I COME

I recently decided to start training for a 5K. I know what you're thinking: "Training for a 5K? Do you really need to train to run 3.1 miles?"

For me, the answer is a resounding YES. I've never once in my life been a runner (aside from my 8+ years playing rec. league softball, which probably didn't require all that much running ability anyways). I think the last time I ran a mile was in my 6th grade gym class, and only because it was required to graduate from elementary school (but really now, who made up that rule?). There's also this pesky little detail where I'm not supposed to run due to some issues I have with my left foot - basically, one of my toe bones is too long, which causes pretty serious arthritis when I bend the ball of my foot up (which, incidentally, happens when you run). It's gotten to the point where I'll need surgery by the end of the year, regardless of whether or not I run, so I decided that I'd like to be in shape when it happens. Thus my goal of running a 5K by the end of May - and, if my ambition stays solid, a 10K by October.

I'm about two weeks into my training program with the C25K Free iPhone app (which is a pretty decent resource to have if you're a beginner runner), and I've found that I'm actually starting to look forward to my workouts. I even went to a specialty running store and bought a pair of shoes that was recommended to me, so I feel like I'm doing this the right way. I may only be running about 9 minutes out of the full 30 minute workout right now, but I'm excited to be able to see my progress and know that I'll be running more and more as my training goes on. I'm hoping that I'm still this excited when I actually have to run for a straight 30 minutes... more likely I'll be cursing everything within eyesight. If you see me running in a few weeks, you may want to steer clear!

So here's to getting fit, working towards a goal, and finally being able to (maybe) call myself a runner - oh, and getting a few free t-shirts from the races, too.