Friday, July 20, 2012

5 Weeks Strong and I'm still Alive!!!

OK, before I started this running journey, I didn't even like running.  I would get on the treadmill and just walk, and even then I wouldn't even last a good five minutes.  It was pathetic!  Now, I can proudly say that I am 5 weeks into the BGR! couch to 5k (c25k) running program and I actually enjoy running.  I enjoy the way it makes me feel........Energized and Strong! 

But if anyone tells you that changing your life and deciding to get into shape is easy, then they are definitely bending the truth.  My first two weeks were rough! I felt pain in parts of my body I didn't even know existed.   I would actually soak in a tub of Epsom Salt, YES I said Epsom Salt, wishing that it would immediately take the pain away.  And unfortunately, it did not! But no matter how painful it got, I knew that it was only temporary.  So battered body and all, I kept stepping back onto the pavement!!


NO PAIN, NO GAIN!

See, running is a sport.  It took me at least three weeks to realize that I had to run my own race.  I had to do my own pace, find a comfortable form and adjust my breathing.  Oh, and also get a great pair of running shoes!!!!!!  These four things were vital to improving my pace and distance. I also started drinking water constantly, because hydration is vital, especially on these over 90 degree weather days we have been having consistently.

So after I accepted the fact that I had to make changes so I could reach my ultimate goal, and after 5 weeks of running at least 3 days a week, my body has adjusted and I am running faster, and longer every time I step onto the pavement.  I can now actually run 2 complete miles without stopping.  This is huge!!!  I couldn't even run half a mile the first day. LOL!!  And I'm not out there competing against my running partners, I'm competing against myself and trying to improve my own time.  And when I do improve, the feeling can't be explained.  It's just a wonderful feeling =)


And I have not stopped at just running.  I have reactivated my gym membership and I hit the gym on the days that I am not jogging on the green ways.  Cross-training is very important and actually improves your running abilities.  So, I now go to the gym and I do group kickboxing, weight lifting, cycling, yoga and an Abs class... Oh yeah, I am getting it in!!!!   


I am a true believer of "when you look good, you feel good."  And even though it's only been 5 weeks, I am toner, healthier, stronger and happier!  But I still have a long way to go!

I feel good and I owe it all to my BGR! Charlotte family, especially the University crew and my slave driving running partner Ann Thomas who leaves me in the dust but is never out of sight =)

No woman left behind!




Thursday, July 5, 2012

My Path, My Way.......From the Couch To My First 10K

"I'll just grab some fast food."...............because I was too busy to cook.
"I will get on the treadmill tomorrow and workout"..... but tomorrow came too soon.
"I guess I will do that lemonade diet"...........but couldn't make it past the first day.

Sound familiar?

Like many people, I was always too busy to cook or go grocery shopping. Fast food is quick and it also tastes good, even though I knew it wasn't healthy for me. However, I told myself that I can always workout and lose any weight that I would gain from eating out regularly. But when the time came for me to burn off the calories, I actually cringed at the thought of exercising. I mean, who gets excited about exercising? I certainly did not.

However, two years later, and tipping the scale 20lbs heavier than my highest weight ever, and also not being able to fit all the clothes in my closet, I said enough is enough!!! It was three months ago that I made a mental decision to get in shape so I wouldn't have to go buy an entire new wardrobe. No, I refused to accept the weight!

In April 2012, I joined the Black Girls Run (BGR!) Charlotte Facebook online group at the insistence of a good friend of mine because I asked her about running groups. I had no prior knowledge of the group and was a little apprehensive at first, because it was unknown to me. Also, running is not my first choice of exercising, but I knew it would give me good results. So instead of jumping right into the mix of things with the group, I stalked the page for months. I read posts, I followed links, I even got brave and clicked some "like's" on occasion.... LOL! But I always thought that everyone on the page were novice runners and I would not fit in.

I WAS WRONG!

A little over three weeks ago I saw my opening to stop procrastinating and start exercising. The BGR! Charlotte group was doing small group programs called "couch to 5k" (c25k). It was a beginner running program to get people who had little or no running experience off the couch and ready to enter their first 5k race. This was my opening to put up or shut-up! So, I decided to actually make a post on the page that I was interested in doing the c25k program. I was excited and I was ready and I couldn't back out because everyone in the Charlotte BGR! group had seen my post, so I couldn't flake out. I had to be brave......

After posting my interest message, I got an immediate response from a run coordinator that the c25k groups were full. My first reaction was disappointment, then I started to get discouraged altogether. I knew that if I did not get into that program that I probably would go back on the couch and back to stalking the page. But a miracle happened! There were so many beginner runners interested in the c25k program that our Charlotte BGR! leader started a third group for the program, and I was now in the group..... Oh the joy!!

I have now completed my third week of the c25k program and I am feeling great. I am running longer and further than I have ever thought possible. And I am actually starting to enjoy running. I have changed my eating habits dramatically, cutting out all fried foods completely and eating more fruits and vegetables. I have already lost weight and inches, so I am stoked about what's to come, including the 10K Race to End Hunger BGR! race I have registered for in Atlanta!! Yes, I said 10K!!! Go hard or go home!

If I can do it, so can you. Stop making excuses about being overweight and unhealthy.  You are your own deterrent!!!!

Just do it!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.blackgirlsrun.com/events/active/black-girls-rundrive-to-end-hunger-5k10k/