An Anniversary - of Running

Today marks one year since I started a Couch to 5K running program on the treadmill in the garage.  John had been on me for years to "just start running" to get exercise, but it always seems like a completely insurmountable thing for me.  I mean, I don't RUN.  Are you kidding me?  I'm the girl that got A's in junior high but a progress report in P.E. because I wouldn't/couldn't do the Friday run.  1.5 miles in the hot Southern California sun in 20 minutes or less, every Friday.  And you want me to be gross and sweaty afterwards and go to the rest of my classes?  Or worse yet, shower at school?  Nope, not gonna happen.

So, when John always said, "just run," I really thought he was full of it.  That may work for other people, but not me.  But, two years of sitting at home - literally SITTING all the time with babies - made me just want to move.  Physically stretch and move my body.  Bethany had done and liked a C25K program previously and recommended an app for my iPhone.  It's a 9 week plan, running 3 times a week, and it starts with running in 30 second increments.  I thought I was going to die.  A couple of work outs later, it ups you to running for 60 SECONDS WITHOUT STOPPING and oh my, this is gonna kill me.  One step at a time.  After about 7 weeks, I got to the point in the program where it basically just says, "Run for 25 minutes" and I thought, HA!!  That's hilarious!  I was just so happy I could run for 10-15 minutes on the treadmill and although it was hard, I didn't really care about technically finishing the program.

At that point, it was starting to get hot in the garage in May.  The window AC unit we have out there wasn't cutting it and so my choices were to stop running or try running outside.  This was an entirely new experience.  Our flat neighborhood?  Notsoflat.  Slight hills.  Incline designed to make you die when you get to the end of the block.  But I made little goals for myself as the runs went.  Run to that tree.  Run to the end of the block.  Run to the next block because you know right around that corner it goes downhill....  And I kept going.  I remember trying to run by the park on Brooks, to Lake Boone Trail.  When you're in the car, it seems flat.  Turns out?  It's not.  It's uphill.  And I would get half way and have to stop and walk.  It was all so hard.  And so far.

I'm not sure how it happened, but slowly I started being able to run longer without stopping.  And the slight grade change of our neighborhood became not such a big deal.  And running outside?  It was sort of... nice.  You saw people walking their dogs, other runners, you were outside getting fresh air.  I felt so good about myself when I finished my jog.  Wait, did I like this??

(I should mention, at this point, I would usually go running before the boys woke up in the morning.  Making time to run is really an entirely separate blog post - suffice it to say, you have to make it a priority to make it happen.)

At some point last summer, I was on Facebook and read that my friend's mom (Shelly Morris, I'm talking about you) posted something about just getting home from her daily 4 mile run.  I thought to myself, "if she can do that every day, you need to get your butt in gear."  And it really encouraged me.  I also remember the first time I went up the hill on Nottingham.  John had been running up it for as long as I can remember, but I thought, if I go this way, I can just loop back around.....  except I had to get up the hill.  I just did it one day.  Ran all the way up the hill.  Then it just seemed like I was running longer and longer - 3, 4, almost 5 miles - as the weeks went on.  All WITHOUT STOPPING.

John and I signed up for an 8K in the OBX last November.  It went really well.  I liked having a race to keep me motivated every week, and on race day, John and I both beat our goals for time.  We sort of felt like dorks for only running an 8K when there were so many other runners running half and full marathons, but there were also people doing the 5K and fun runs, so hey, it wasn't so bad.  Coming off that run, I wasn't sure what I would do.  The next race distance is really a half marathon, or a 10k or 10 miler, but they're hard to find.  A half marathon is 13.1 miles - much, much different than the 5 miles of an 8K.

And it happened again.  Someone said something that triggered in me, hey maybe you could run a half marathon.....?  Cut to advice from my running hero, Julia.  Girl's run 12 marathons.  TWELVE.  She's always full of encouraging words and this was no exception.  Yes, I could absolutely do it.  I should.  Why not?  Oh, and here's the one you should run...... the Tobacco Road Half Marathon.  It'll be great!  ;-)

It's been almost exactly one year to the day that I started running.  And this Sunday will be quite the anniversary.  My first half marathon.

I've been doing my best to follow a training plan, building to longer and longer runs.  My longest is 9.16 miles, and the half is 13.1.  I know I can do it.  Some days are great runs - you feel strong and like you could run forever.  Some runs are hard and it takes every bit of energy you have to run a distance that you ran 4 days ago with no problem.  So, I'm nervous.  There's a lot of logistics involved.  I've dreamed about the race the last two nights.  But today I also had a good run (6.5 miles) and I'm trying to be smart and prepared.  I hope I have a great run and feel good - it can make such a big difference.  But regardless of whether I have to walk part of it or not, I'm trying to remind myself how far I've come and how incredibly proud of myself I am.  This race is going to be a huge accomplishment for non-athletic, non-running Carrie Broder.  It's been quite a year.  Here goes nothing!