When all was said and done, I made it! I can currently run a distance of 5K without thinking about it.
I have been running for five months now, and I can officially say "I am a runner!"
This week was the finish line for the C25K program for me, but I also started training for a 10K race. I am going to keep going. I have lost weight, gained confidence, and went shopping for a brand new wardrobe What's not to love! I am capable of doing this, and I proved it to myself and everyone else!
People have stopped asking me "Why are you doing this?" and started asking me "How did you do it?"
It's an amazing feeling, and I know that if I can do it, anyone can!
Get off the Couch and Do It! Make the decision to do it for yourself! Make your life better. And if nothing else, think of all the new clothes you can go buy!
Don't Let The Program Run You Into The Ground!
The C25K program is 9 weeks long. It took me roughly 20 weeks to finish it. I am proud to say that I repeated many of the workouts. I knew that if I moved on to the next day's workout without being comfortable with the previous day's workout I would never be successful.
I let me body tell me when it was time to move onto the next day. When I was able to finish a days exercise while feeling like I could have gone longer, I knew it was time to move on!
Don't let yourself get stuck in a rut though! It will be easy to get into the habit of repeating a day and feeling really comfortable with yourself and not want to move on. To be successful you have to go at your own pace, but you also have to know when to push yourself! You can do it, so don't hold yourself back! You will surprise yourself!
I let me body tell me when it was time to move onto the next day. When I was able to finish a days exercise while feeling like I could have gone longer, I knew it was time to move on!
Don't let yourself get stuck in a rut though! It will be easy to get into the habit of repeating a day and feeling really comfortable with yourself and not want to move on. To be successful you have to go at your own pace, but you also have to know when to push yourself! You can do it, so don't hold yourself back! You will surprise yourself!
Footwear..... It's The Kicker!
When I made the decision to start running, I also went out and bought a new pair of shoes. I made a HUGE mistake. I thought that I could get into the idea of "barefoot running" or minimalist running. I purchased a pair of minimalist shoes, and they worked for me for about three weeks. Starting week four, I started feeling some pain in both ankles. I thought that it was just my body saying "hey, this is all new, and I'm not sure I like it!" but what it was really saying was "I am being injured, and this is going to get worse if you don't change!"
Unfortunately for me, I didn't know what my body was telling me. I continued running with the pain, and it finally all came to a head at the end of week four. I had injured myself so severely that I had constant pain while walking, and even while no pressure was even on my ankles.
This injury set me back a whole month! That is four weeks that I couldn't run. That was four weeks of constant pain. That was four lost weeks, and all because I wasn't listening to what my body was saying!
When I was finally able to get back out and start walking for exercise (which is what I did for about a week, just walk) I went to a running store and had the experts help me choose a pair of running shoes that were going to be good for me! I spent a lot of money on a pair of shoes, but, seeing as how they still feel amazing today, they must have been worth it!
THIS IS A MUST! Go ask the experts! They know, and you don't! It will help in the long run! Literally! The "long run"!
I used the Runner's World shoe buying guid to help point me in the right direction so I would be informed when I went into the running store.
I finally decided on the Saucony Omni 11 and couldn't be happier with my decision!
Unfortunately for me, I didn't know what my body was telling me. I continued running with the pain, and it finally all came to a head at the end of week four. I had injured myself so severely that I had constant pain while walking, and even while no pressure was even on my ankles.
This injury set me back a whole month! That is four weeks that I couldn't run. That was four weeks of constant pain. That was four lost weeks, and all because I wasn't listening to what my body was saying!
When I was finally able to get back out and start walking for exercise (which is what I did for about a week, just walk) I went to a running store and had the experts help me choose a pair of running shoes that were going to be good for me! I spent a lot of money on a pair of shoes, but, seeing as how they still feel amazing today, they must have been worth it!
THIS IS A MUST! Go ask the experts! They know, and you don't! It will help in the long run! Literally! The "long run"!
I used the Runner's World shoe buying guid to help point me in the right direction so I would be informed when I went into the running store.
I finally decided on the Saucony Omni 11 and couldn't be happier with my decision!
Getting Started With C25K
I knew that I had to find something that I could do physically, but also something that my brain would say "ok, I'll give this a shot" about.
I had lots of friends on FaceBook and Twitter that were doing something called "Couch-To-5K". I liked the idea of starting with a couch potato, because that is exactly what I was (or more specifically, an old potato that is starting to sag and get soft...). I thought, "why not, it's worth a shot."
I looked up information about the program, and found that there were many websites with information about the program, but I really got interested in the idea that the program, at least in many peoples program, involved an app on their smart phone.
I looked at many different apps on my iPhone, and decided on one. There are many free apps that do exactly the same thing as the one that I used, but I did decide to get an app that had a small charge. Why? Because I wanted an app that would record my information in a log on my phone. I found that many of the free apps would go through the workout with you, but when you were done and closed the app, your information about that workout was gone. I wanted to be able to look back and see my progress! The app that I used was one put out by Active.com and can be downloaded on from the site.
I started the C25K program. The first day just about killed me. Now remember I started the program in the middle of July. It was hot yes, and I was completely out of shape on top of that. These two things almost made me never come back to the program. But then I did.
I was able to finish my first day without having to stop and rest. I was slow! I looked like a hot mess! But I made it, and that was the most important part. I had done it! And if I had been able to do it the first day, why not the second?
The program only does 3 days out of the week, so I even got days off between what later became known as "run days."
I stuck with it for the first week. I almost couldn't walk because my body was in so much pain and distress from that weeks exercise. But guess what, I still was doing it. I was able to get out and follow the program three days a week. And long story short, I made it to the end.
I had lots of friends on FaceBook and Twitter that were doing something called "Couch-To-5K". I liked the idea of starting with a couch potato, because that is exactly what I was (or more specifically, an old potato that is starting to sag and get soft...). I thought, "why not, it's worth a shot."
I looked up information about the program, and found that there were many websites with information about the program, but I really got interested in the idea that the program, at least in many peoples program, involved an app on their smart phone.
I looked at many different apps on my iPhone, and decided on one. There are many free apps that do exactly the same thing as the one that I used, but I did decide to get an app that had a small charge. Why? Because I wanted an app that would record my information in a log on my phone. I found that many of the free apps would go through the workout with you, but when you were done and closed the app, your information about that workout was gone. I wanted to be able to look back and see my progress! The app that I used was one put out by Active.com and can be downloaded on from the site.
I started the C25K program. The first day just about killed me. Now remember I started the program in the middle of July. It was hot yes, and I was completely out of shape on top of that. These two things almost made me never come back to the program. But then I did.
I was able to finish my first day without having to stop and rest. I was slow! I looked like a hot mess! But I made it, and that was the most important part. I had done it! And if I had been able to do it the first day, why not the second?
The program only does 3 days out of the week, so I even got days off between what later became known as "run days."
I stuck with it for the first week. I almost couldn't walk because my body was in so much pain and distress from that weeks exercise. But guess what, I still was doing it. I was able to get out and follow the program three days a week. And long story short, I made it to the end.
That First Step.... Or Should I Say Leap Of Faith...
First, you will need a little background about me. I am a bigger guy. At 24 years old, I was the heaviest I had ever been, 252lbs. I was fat. There is no better term for it (unless you want the real term which is "morbidly obese"). I was getting ready to finish my college career, getting ready to go out into the world, and I couldn't even walk fast without becoming quickly exhausted. I ate fast food at least five times a week for various meals, and I got absolutely zero exercise.
As I have said, I have always been bigger. I have never known what it was like to be athletic. I never knew what it was like to be thin. I never even knew what it was like to buy pants that weren't "husky," "relaxed," or "loose."
Everything came to a halt in July of 2012. I was tired of being tired. I was fed up with being fat. I was done going to stores, only to find that they didn't have my size because my size was just too big and not the "normal" sizes they carried. I was tired of it all. I made the decision to change, and it was the hardest decision I have ever made in my life, and I wouldn't go back and do it any other way!
I decided that I was not only going to start eating better, but that I was going to become a fit person. To be more specific, I was ging to become a runner.
Many people in my life said they were proud of me, but I could see the look of skepticism in their face. They all knew me as the yo-yo dieter that had lost, at most, 15 pounds, and could never actually keep up any form of healthy eating or exercise for any length of time to make any difference, but they were proud that I was going to try.
I proved them wrong. In only 5 months I had lost 50 pounds and was able to run a distance of 5K with no problem.
If you are thinking "Yea, you did it, but I can't!" then you need to follow along my journey as I continue my journey to lifelong health and fitness. I will give you my best tips to sticking with it, keeping the food good, and making it all bearable. So join me, and start your journey today!
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