Like many of the things on my list, I have attempted to learn to run multiple times, but it never seems to stick.
Running is something I've never been good at.
When I was seven, my first grade class had this running fundraiser where we earned money per lap we ran from various sponsors. If you ran a certain number of laps, you got a kid's cheeseburger from McDonalds. I don't know how many laps you needed to run to meet that goal, but I didn't make it there because a concerned onlooker at the event forced me to sit out the race after one lap because my face was so red.
There was also many a nightmarish game of tag that I spent stuck as "it" for the duration of recess because I wasn't fast enough to catch anyone.
Then there were the excruciating additional ten seconds it took me to run infield after an inning of softball or kickball.
I hate running.
Running is painful, exhausting, boring and in no way relaxing to me.
So why the heck am I going to learn to run?
Well, it is "an extremely efficient way to burn calories and drop pounds." My husband and I live a nomadic lifestyle which doesn't always guarantee access to a gym. When you are a runner the world is your gym. Plus, running is a solitary endeavor, which is great for an introvert like me who struggles with team sports and basic conversational skills.
So I'm going to take it on slowly, and see if I can't be a runner by the end of the year.
Here is the plan:
- Follow the popular 9 week Couch to 5Kprogram. You can learn how the program works here.
- Possibly join a runner's club here in Newfoundland for additional running support.
- Pick an awesome 5k with a ridiculous theme to distract me from the fact that I'm running. I'm looking for runs dedicated to chocolate like this one, or a run where you are so distracted by the zombies attacking you at every corner that you don't notice your lungs burning.
- Lose the excess Nutella weight from last year's pregnancy.
- Buy lots of cute running clothes.
- Crave a run instead of a fist full of chocolate chips.
- Train for a 10k, then a half marathon, etc. etc.
I'll report back each month on my progress. I'm hoping to learn better form. I'm hoping to learn how to breathe without hyperventilating. I'm hoping to learn how to run while simultaneously pushing a stroller and holding a dog leash.
Does anyone have any advice for me? Has C25k worked for you? Have you run in a wacky 5k and lived to tell the tale? When do you change the exploding chest for the runner high, and how similar is a runner's high to say a vodka-induced buzz? Or are they not related at all?
