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I've been lurking around here lately and have seen so many of you talking about being in the early weeks of the C25K, and it brings back SO many memories for me. I just wanted to share a bit of encouragement with you, because that program (along with Atkins!) has done so much for my life.
Two years ago, when I started the C25K I weighed 240 pounds, had exercise-induced asthma, and could not run to the end of my street. And I knew that because I had tried, again and again, because running was something I had always wanted to do. I'd see folks out for a jog on a nice day and I was so jealous of them. And yet I felt I didn't have it in me. Until one day a friend of mine who coached cross country told me the "secret" of running for first-timers: slow down! He told me to run so slow that walkers would laugh at me. He told me to run so slow that moss grew on the bottom of my shoes. And I laughed at him and thought he was being silly, but I did it. I "ran" that first night of the C25K week 1 so slow that I was embarrassed and would only do my program at night when nobody could see me.
And it was going along like that for weeks. Slow, slow jogging. I called it wogging because even joggers would not want to be in the same class with me.
<---my pace!
And I went through the whole program that way, until one day in about the sixth week I realized that I could go a lot faster than before.
In the next few months I took my slow wogging self through a 5k program and ran my first race. I finished it in 34 minutes, which I found miraculous.
And now next weekend I'm going to run my first half marathon. Sure, it took me a while. I ran and quit running and got sick and gained some weight back, then I came back and did it all again, and lo and behold, it worked again.
The idea of running a half is amazing to me. Two weeks ago I ran 10 miles for the first time in my life and I called my parents to brag and my sister and I wanted to take out an ad in the paper, too. *G*
So how is it that a fat, asthmatic, giver-upper like me came to this point? Easy--these programs WORK. Atkins and C25K. So slow down, be nice to yourself, and give it time. Because I guarantee that even if it turns out you hate running, you'll be able to know for sure because you'll be able to do several miles.
You. Can. Do. It.
Two years ago, when I started the C25K I weighed 240 pounds, had exercise-induced asthma, and could not run to the end of my street. And I knew that because I had tried, again and again, because running was something I had always wanted to do. I'd see folks out for a jog on a nice day and I was so jealous of them. And yet I felt I didn't have it in me. Until one day a friend of mine who coached cross country told me the "secret" of running for first-timers: slow down! He told me to run so slow that walkers would laugh at me. He told me to run so slow that moss grew on the bottom of my shoes. And I laughed at him and thought he was being silly, but I did it. I "ran" that first night of the C25K week 1 so slow that I was embarrassed and would only do my program at night when nobody could see me.
And it was going along like that for weeks. Slow, slow jogging. I called it wogging because even joggers would not want to be in the same class with me.
<---my pace!And I went through the whole program that way, until one day in about the sixth week I realized that I could go a lot faster than before.
In the next few months I took my slow wogging self through a 5k program and ran my first race. I finished it in 34 minutes, which I found miraculous.
And now next weekend I'm going to run my first half marathon. Sure, it took me a while. I ran and quit running and got sick and gained some weight back, then I came back and did it all again, and lo and behold, it worked again.
The idea of running a half is amazing to me. Two weeks ago I ran 10 miles for the first time in my life and I called my parents to brag and my sister and I wanted to take out an ad in the paper, too. *G*
So how is it that a fat, asthmatic, giver-upper like me came to this point? Easy--these programs WORK. Atkins and C25K. So slow down, be nice to yourself, and give it time. Because I guarantee that even if it turns out you hate running, you'll be able to know for sure because you'll be able to do several miles.
You. Can. Do. It.
. I've read about the C25K and haven't officially started it, but when I'm on my treadmill I add some one-minute intervals of jogging. It's definitely added a boost to my workout!!!
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