Somehow, I always thought it would be great to be a runner. To be able to tell people, "Yeah, I went for a run this morning." We moved to a farm seven years ago and I decided to take up running. That summer, I began with the "Couch to 5k" running plan and jogged/walked that first half hour. I thought I would die. I could not do anything close to what might be called a run for the thirty second intervals at the beginning of the program. But I was determined to run my first 5k in September, so I stubbornly stuck with it. Gradually I was able to run longer and longer intervals until finally I was running a full 30 minutes and a full 3 miles! A 5k distance! I had some hiccups along the way. For a while my knees started hurting and I received some pain medication and some good advice from my doctor. He reminded me that the country roads I was running on are mounded in the middle for drainage and runoff, so if I always run on the left side of the road, I am always putting that angled strain on my knees and other leg joints. He told me to switch from one side of the road to to the other half the time. I did. I kept running. My husband took up running, too. We ran that 5k together.
I went on to run several 5k races and a couple of 10k races. After one 10k, my friend and I were feeling so good that we decided to try a half marathon. That is a story for another day.
I have been dealing with some foot issues lately, so I haven't run much in the last year. I just want to encourage people to remember that fitness comes in small bites. A person must commit to continue. Just because I haven't been running, doesn't mean that I quit striving for fitness. I work out almost everyday as I seek to be a healthy momma to my kids!