Guess what? I did it!! I put my running shoes on and started training for my 5K tonight!! I’m a busy mom. I work full-time (plus a few hours). I have 2 active kids. I have a house to keep up (hahahaha). We like to travel (a lot). My biggest challenge in this Go Green Get Fit challenge is making time to work out. I’ve done really well at making time to go to kickboxing at least 2 times a week but that’s not where my goal stopped. I want to work out MORE! I want to enjoy running like my friends and I want to accomplish my goals. I want to show my kids that even mommy can be fit and take care of herself.
At BlogHer ’12 I got up at 6am to run their 5K (cough – joke – cough) through Central Park. I didn’t train AT ALL for this and didn’t even have a running partner. I forgot my inhaler (asthma) and didn’t have any water. I was at the back of the pack and had visions of CSI or Law and Order flash in my head (yes, this really happened) and fear got the best of me. As I struggled to keep my BlogHer friends in sight I decided it was best for me to head back to the hotel. I took the long, winding route back to the hotel because I have a horrible sense of direction and ended up completing 2.1 miles of a combined walk/run. To me that was an accomplishment enough for the day – I wasn’t prepared and didn’t want to push my limits (or end up on CSI).
That was ONE month ago and my exercise regime has been about the same as it was before hand. I’m still kicking butt at kickboxing 2-3 times a week but I haven’t started training for my 5K yet…
…until tonight!
Over the past month I have downloaded the C25K app on my iPhone. I have a brand new pair of running shoes. I have running shorts. I have an arm band for my iPhone. But I haven’t used them to run.
School has started back for my kids and life is just as hectic as ever. My sons new school has more homework (he’s in 4th grade) than he’s ever had to do. Tonight I had to spend over an hour (almost 2) working with him to help teach him how to stay on task and complete everything he needed to get done. After missing my kickboxing class I decided I was going to use this as an opportunity to keep working out!!
I kissed my kids goodnight, put on my cute new running gear, turned on my C25K app, and went for my very first run. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve ran before but never with any type of plan or organization. I didn’t realize that you actually have to work up to the running with a combination of running and power walking. My first night took about 30 minutes to complete and I felt AMAZING the entire time. Kickboxing has really improved my stamina and I’m confident that I can kick this 5Ks butt! I feel confident that even though the C25K app suggests 8 weeks of training that because I’m not really starting from the couch that I’ll be ready for the Mud Endeavor (yes, I’m getting dirty) 5K on October 6th.
Find the C25K (Couch to 5K) app on iTunes (Free app)
About my shoes: I’m wearing Merrel Dash Glove barefoot running shoes. I know it’s only day 1 of actually running in them (I have worn them around a few times) but they were really comfortable. They were very light weight and didn’t give me any blisters on night one. They fit (excuse the pun) like a glove. I’ll share more specifically on the shoes later this week after I’ve worn them a few more times. (Thank you PlanetShoes.com for providing me with these shoes to test out.)
Do you run? Have any tips to share with a newbie? Can I really keep up this motivation?
Looking for cloth diapering resources and tips? Visit my cloth diapering archives, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and on Pinterest.
Subscribe to new posts via your favorite RSS Feed Reader or by Email.
Hi Calley,
It sounds like you’re off to a great start on your fitness goals! I recently started running on a regular basis about a year ago. I used to absolutely hate it but the more I continued the more I came to enjoy it. There’s nothing more rewarding than completing your first 5K run without stopping for walking breaks. I try to create new challenges for myself on a regular basis to keep things interesting. I’m sure that if you keep this up you’ll become just as addicted as I am! Good luck!
P.S. I’ll be interested to hear more about your new shoes once you’ve warn them a few more times. I’ve never tried barefoot running shoes but they look comfortable.
Genevieve recently posted..Annie Leonard’s The Story of Electronics