Running. In all honesty, I was convinced that I would never be a runner. Unless I was placed in some life threatening situation, where running was my only chance of survival, that is. Oh, how wrong I was.
In February, I had been dealing with a plateau of sorts, having had a consistent workout plan that I had been following since the holidays. I distinctly remember that cold day when I went in to the gym to work out and Jess stopped me and said, "Today I want you to run". I told her it was not possible. I, Amanda Bailey, was not capable of running. She didn't care. So onto that blasted treadmill I climbed, and while I walked to warm up she explained to me some of the basics about form, breathing, and how we were going to turn me into a runner.
I started with intervals. Walk for X number of minutes, jog for X number of minutes, push hard and try and run for a few minutes. We worked on various running programs, interval runs, tempo runs and hybrid runs mostly to start. Tempo runs were the hardest to start. Running at the same speed for longer periods of time, without the changing of speeds to distract you.
A few weeks later Jess and Erin told me about a VA Sponsored 5K that was happening at the end of April, and how I was going to run in it. Obviously I still doubted my skills and myself in general, and told them that they were crazy to think that I could run a 5k barely 2 months after running for the first time in my life. How wrong I was. I ran 2-3 times a week, along with my other workouts of step aerobics, spinning and strength training. And on April 22, I ran my first 5k in 33:34. Beating the goal I had set for myself of 35 minutes.
I eased off the running after that. I still am not the biggest fan of running. I get bored and need more distraction than my music can provide. I can vouch for the effectiveness of it, however. The weight was not coming off as quickly as it did while I was running multiple times a week and training for the race.
So, last weekend I registered for my 2nd 5k, a Halloween race! It is here in Hatboro, which is great for me, since I will be familiar with the route. I would like to say that my goal is 30 minutes, but I am going to err on the side of caution on this one and say now that I will complete the Skeleton Skurry in under 32 minutes.This also means I am going to be getting back to running multiple days a week, and this should also help me with the current plateau I've been dealing with.
I am hoping that I will become a fan of running, or at least dread it less. Its hard on my hips and knees, and my body is still adjusting to these new motions I am putting it through. But the feeling I get after finishing a long run, in a good time, is unlike any other. It feels really, really good.
That brings me to the end of my story of how I started running. I tend to stick to the treadmill, since it helps keep my feet moving when I otherwise would slow down or stop. I have, on various occasions, gone for runs around Hatboro and my neighborhood, and down on Kelly Drive in Philly. They are very different experiences and I know that running outside is something I need to continue to help me in training for races. Who knows, maybe next summer I'll be doing a 10k!
As always, thanks for reading! :)
No comments:
Post a Comment