Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Couch to 5K

Hey there!  It's Nicole from Teaching With Style!  I recently signed up for my second 5K ever.  My first 5K was the Shamrock run in Portland, OR in like 2010.  It was horrible!  It rained the entire time, then the lines afterwards for the free chowder and beer were horrendous.  Not to mention how far away my friend and I had to park!  After that race, I swore I would never do another one because "I'm not a runner".

Well, here I am again, signed up for a 5K without being a runner.  I actually committed with a group of friends to join their team for the Spartan race in Oahu on August 17th.  Spartan is a 3 mile obstacle course and is supposed to be really fun.  To help me gear up for it, I signed up for a local 5K, the Tri Lanai City Run the weekend before.

So, as I said, I'm not a runner.  I like to do yoga, go to aerobics classes or do aerobics videos.  But I've never liked running.  Every time I run I always get mad at myself that I have to walk, that I don't have stamina to run the whole time.  Then when I get home, I'm always completely out of breath, my chest hurts, and I want to die.



Last week I stumbled on this website Couch to 5K.  I was intrigued.  Could I really become a runner?  Could I do this 5K and not feel like I wanted to die? I downloaded the free mobile app and started.  Basically, for the first week, you run for 60 seconds and walk for 90 seconds for a total of 20 minutes. You do this 3 times in a week.  Each time, I ran 2 miles.  The second week the running increases, but so does the walking.  It's such an easy way to ease yourself into it!  I'm not out of breath, my chest doesn't feel like collapsing.  I can really do this!

I'm about to start my 2nd week, so I'll keep you updated after I do it!  I'm debating on if I want to run with my 3 year old in a jogging stroller or with my 1 year old Brittany Spaniel.  Either one will pose an obstacle! I will keep you updated!

Are you like me?  Or are you a runner?  Share your story in the comments!