So I've Taken Up Running

I've eluded to this fact a couple times in previous posts and keep meaning to blog about it but there seems to be very little free time these days where I have two hands available to type....Anyway, so for those of you who know me well, you know that I've never been a runner. I've always HATED running. They used to call me "Tomato Face" when I played basketball in middle school because my face would get, well, tomato red from running. I found the average runner to be a bit obsessive about it all which bothered me, and I just didn't really see the point (For you runners out there, don't hate me yet. Let me finish!) But as a dietitian and a professional who values health and well-being, I always felt a little guilty about not running. I've tried to become a runner on a couple of occasions. Once in college, I decided I wanted to run a marathon. I put on my shoes, went outside, and ran for pretty much the first time ever. BAM! I hated every minute of it. Nah, running a marathon wouldn't be so great afterall. That was the end of that.

Come 2009, I guess I'm a new girl! I'm a mom now, I guess that's probably what came over me. I wanted to lose the last few pounds of baby weight and knew that I needed to step it up a notch. I was also going a bit stir crazy being inside all day and all I had was my Moby Wrap or Snap and Go stroller to carry Isla, neither of which are very condusive to exercise. I convinced Graham that a jogger stroller would be in our best interest so that I could really get out and do some hard core exercising. He ever-so-lovingly let me buy a very pricey stroller, the BOB Revolution, on an extremely tight budget (1/2 of it was paid for with gift money from Graham's amazing coworkers!) I felt guiltly about such an indulgent purchase that I cut way back on groceries and somehow shaved off $200 from our monthly spending so that that money could go toward the stroller!! How I did that, I'm not entirely sure. I made a huge effort to use 100% of every ingredient I purchased and I used up some stuff I had stored away in the freezer...

Anyway, armed with my bright orange stroller, I found a running plan online for beginners that involves intervals of walking and running to start. I am running three times a week with the intervals of running increasing as each week passes. I'll be starting week 4 next week and by golly, I'm enjoying myself! I guess I've always despised running because I've tried to go from 0 to 60 without any training and my body complained. Now that I'm easing my way into it, it's not so bad! By the end of this 9 week program, I should be able to run a 5K. I'm currently not signed up to run an organized race but I may just do that if the opportunity presents itself....