I had a couple pairs of running shorts (because that's what I wear over my swimsuits) and an old pair of athletic shoes I had bought to wear to the gym several years earlier. They still looked in pristine condition. Target had some dri-fit type shirts on sale in their "Christmas is over but it's too early for summer stuff so we're going to have random things on sale" area. I bought one in black and one in purple. I also had to buy a new sports bra. The ones from college just didn't fit anymore...that's what having two kids will do to you.
Now that I had the gear, I needed the method. I knew that if I just went out and ran I'd get tired quickly and just give up. I downloaded a couch to 5k app for my iphone. There are a lot of choices out there, but I went with the one by Bluefin Apps. I'm not sure why...probably because it was the first one that showed up on the list. It let me listen to music and a really nice voice told me when to run and when to walk. I like her best when she tells me it's time to walk.
I grabbed all my gear (and two kids) and headed to the gym at our church. The track is small, it takes 19 laps to make a mile...not that I'm going to come anywhere close to a mile for a loooong time. That first day I alternated between running 30 seconds and walking 1 minute. I did that over and over for 20 minutes. It doesn't sound that hard...but it wore me out. Yes, running only 7 minutes over a total of 20 minutes kicked my butt.
I realized that if I was going to do this I needed better shoes. Shoes that were designed for running, and shoes that hadn't been in my closet for over 2 years. I wanted good shoes, but since I was just starting on this journey I wasn't willing to pay too much. If I only lasted 2 weeks what would I do with expensive running shoes...let them collect dust in my closet too? On the way home I stopped at Academy. I didn't see anything there under $60. Not gonna work for me. My next stop was Famous Footwear. I found what I was looking for. Good starter shoes at a reasonable price. Now I was really ready to run.
A couple of days later I returned to our church gym. (It was January...way to cold to run outside.) Around and around the track I went. I did the same pattern again, but this time it was easier. I began to feel like this might actually happen.
The next step to being a runner was to get one of those phone cases that straps to your arm. After all, all the runners have them! Plus, I was always worried I was going to drop my phone while I was running. New shirt, new shoes, fancy running phone case...now I was starting to look like a runner.
I those first couple of weeks I started setting my sights on the 5k at the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon. I needed to have a goal to keep me motivated...and the timing would work out for that race. If I followed the training plan exactly I would be up to a 5k several weeks before the race. Of course, I had bumps along the way, so I was just getting there when it was time for the race. Those first four months I was on fire. I was motivated. I didn't stop. I ran in the church gym, in my neighborhood, and even Hafer Park (my favorite.) I ran up hills and even better, down hills. My knees hurt, but I wasn't letting that stop me. I had a goal. I'd paid my money, I was going to complete the race. (I shouldn't really call it a race because the only timing was my stopwatch, but I got a race bib and a finisher's medal.) Yes, there was a medal waiting for me! After all, My husband already had several...I was going to get one too.
I those first couple of weeks I started setting my sights on the 5k at the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon. I needed to have a goal to keep me motivated...and the timing would work out for that race. If I followed the training plan exactly I would be up to a 5k several weeks before the race. Of course, I had bumps along the way, so I was just getting there when it was time for the race. Those first four months I was on fire. I was motivated. I didn't stop. I ran in the church gym, in my neighborhood, and even Hafer Park (my favorite.) I ran up hills and even better, down hills. My knees hurt, but I wasn't letting that stop me. I had a goal. I'd paid my money, I was going to complete the race. (I shouldn't really call it a race because the only timing was my stopwatch, but I got a race bib and a finisher's medal.) Yes, there was a medal waiting for me! After all, My husband already had several...I was going to get one too.
After the race is when my randomness kicked in. My knees had been hurting for a while, and I wanted to rest them and let them heal. Also, it was hot outside. If you don't remember the summer of 2011 let me remind you...it was constantly over 100 in Oklahoma. I didnt want to go outside, much less run. Lastly, we were preparing to move cross county to Georgia. That took a lot of my time...and just made finding time to run harder. For a couple of months you couldn't even call me a random runner, because I really wasn't a runner at all. Fortunately that all changed when we arrived in Georgia, but that's another story for another post.
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