Fat to 5K

Admirably motivated or certifiably insane? I haven't decided yet, but I'm leaning toward the latter. Because I, a 42 year old, 100 lb. overweight, plagued with health problems, hasn't-run-once-in-the-last-25-years, woman have committed to a program which culminates in an activity that holds about as much enjoyment for me as a root canal: A 5K race. Of course, we all know I won't be "racing." My goal will simply be not to finish (1) last or (2) behind anyone over the age of 85.

Now, if you're familiar with the Couch to 5K, you know that it is typically a 9-week program. You start out with a mix of running and walking, and supposedly end up in good enough shape to run a 5K in a little over two months. I am not naive enough to assume this works for someone like myself, for whom simply getting up off the couch is a workout in itself. In my quest to stop living with an all-or-nothing, do-it-perfectly-or-give-up-altogether mentality, I have decided to take it slowly and thus improve my chances of success. I plan to take two weeks to accomplish each week's running schedule, and if I still can't complete a week successfully, I will keep trying until I nail it. If I take 18 - 20 weeks to finish the program, that will put me at around September. So my first race will be the Harvest Classic here in town on October 31st. It's 2.7 miles, so not quite a 5K. My next goal will be to do either the 5K or 10K at the Shamrock Run in Portland on March 17th. Of course I hope there will be considerably less of me to carry around by then.

What, you may ask, inspired me to take on such a formerly unthinkable challenge? Well, it all started a week ago when my (wonderful, amazing, but significantly lacking in tact) husband made a comment that was meant to be helpful but, as these things usually go, ended up with my feelings being hurt. Angry at his insensitivity, I responded by thinking, "I'll show him!" Which, in retrospect, may have backfired. Because, true to my nature, I went straight to the big guns. "Couch to 5K. Yep. That sounds like something he wouldn't think I could do. So I'm gonna do it. And I think I'll start tomorrow."

Week 1/Day 1 was tough. Having read some of my fellow "fat to 5K" cohorts blogs, I didn't expect much from the first walk/run. But to my surprise, I finished the entire thing without stopping. My pace was probably slower than other first-timers, but hey....I had a lot more weight on those ankles (one of which I broke last summer). Week 1/Day 2 was also a success, even more so because I woke up with a headache and hadn't slept much the night before but still managed to get myself on the treadmill.

For now, I'm doing the program on the treadmill because, well, as inspiring as it may be to see an overweight person running, it's also an image that you'd rather not have stuck in your head. Not that I'd be silly enough to wear spandex running tights. That would be wrong. I save those for my trips to Walmart. In reality, I'm just not ready to have people smile sympathetically at me as they leave me in their dust. I'm still recovering from the trauma of being passed by an elderly lady while walking at what I considered my briskest pace several months ago. I did buy myself some real running shoes today. That's a step toward becoming legit. Never in a million years did I think I'd be purchasing anything with the word "running" in it's description. It was a little surreal.

I hope you'll follow along with my journey into the world of the skinny, rain-soaked runners I pass in my nice warm minivan every morning while shaking my head and wondering if they are certifiably insane. In my defense, I've never once seen one of them smiling. Admit it....you haven't either.