A big achievement

A few years ago, an office mate and her husband started doing the Couch to 5K program. Before then, I never really had an interest in running (and, honestly, I didn't really think I was cut out for that kind of exercise), but I saw how much she enjoyed it and how far she came in a really short period of time, so I mentioned it to my husband one night (also not a runner), and we both decided to try out the program with the goal of running a 5K in a few months. It was truly amazing how quickly we progressed. Every time the training run got harder, I thought for sure, this was going to be the time I couldn't do it, and then every time, without fail, I was able to. Sure, there were setbacks, but we both kept pushing through. And I came to love the feel of running — how it's totally powered by your body and nothing else. It feels so natural, even when it hurts. :)

Well, we lived in Houston at the time, and as the end of our training plan approached, the weather got too warm, and we never got around to signing up for a race. Then we moved to St. Louis, things got busy, and we stopped running for a while. Last winter, we got back into it, and it was a wonderful feeling. Long story short(er), my husband skipped the 5K and went straight to the half marathon! He completed his first one a few months ago and is already planning on a marathon in the spring! I'm so proud of him. I, on the other hand, wasn't able to run nearly as much over the summer (it's just too hot for me outside, and I hate running on treadmills), so I wasn't ready for a half and decided to stick with our original goal — a 5K.

My friend Susanne agreed to run it with me, and we signed up for a great local race supporting an organization called Girls on the Run. As they say on their site, their mission is “to educate and prepare girls for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living.” And, based on this race, which is the culmination of the training program for the girls in the program and a chance for the community to get involved, they do a great job. There were thousands of runners, and it was a great first race.

Because of a slow start (due to the huge crowd), I didn't make my “best possible day” time, but I did really well, and it felt great to be out there with everyone. And afterwards, the ladies and husbands (who had cheered us through the race) had a wonderful breakfast. I'm hooked ... when's the next race?