I have never been a runner. In elementary school, I was always that kid who was huffing and puffing trying to complete that evil mile run for the Presidential Fitness Test. In high school, I swore I would never run unless there was some sort of murderer chasing me and I didn't think I could take them down on my own.
This past January, I decided to change my status as a non-runner. A friend told me about the Couch to 5K (C25K) program, and I decided it was at least worth a shot. So, I downloaded the app onto my iphone and hit the treadmill.
The first day of my new life as a runner was absolute torture. I struggled to make it through running for just one minute. Every time the little voice in my phone would say, "Begin running!," I wanted to chuck my phone across the room. I ended the day with some serious doubts about whether or not I would actually be able to complete this program.
Even though I considered giving up after the first day, I decided I needed to stick with this program, and I am so glad that I did! I can now say that I have joined the running world, though I don't think I can officially call myself a runner yet. I can only run about 2 miles or so without getting winded right now, but I find that I'm able to run a little bit more each day. I'm hoping that I'll finally be able to finish the C25K program in a couple of weeks.
On July 14th, I will be running my first 5K. I'm going to run The Color Run in St. Paul with my dad and my friends Katie and Chase (Go team Running Rejects!). I'm really looking forward to crossing that finish line... I think at that point I'll finally be able to say that I am, indeed, a runner!
