I Ran

Well, despite all my best intentions, I am becoming an athlete.

Regular readers of my blog (both of you) know that my primary resolution for this year was to get healthier and lose some weight. To that end, I have been trying to eat healthier, with varying degrees of success. I have also been exercising more. I started by trying to walk the dogs everyday. I am now walking them 1.6 miles per day, averaging 4 to 7 days a week.

I also found an incredibly supportive internet forum that I have been hanging out on. I have discovered why drug dealers Weight Watchers® works so well - a supportive community. These ladies praise each other's accomplishments and commiserate on our disappointments. They push encourage each other to reach for new heights. Some are just getting started, like myself. Others are already running triathlons.

Encouraged by the insanity dedication of my SmoFit (as we call ourselves) friends, I started looking at walking events that I could participate in. I found the Route 66 Marathon which has a marathon, a 1/2 marathon, a 1/4 marathon, a kids marathon, and a Family 5k. I mentioned the kids marathon to my kids, and the boys got very excited and wanted to participate. DD1 was less excited, but only because she felt she would get too tired to run the whole way.

Just 11 days ago, on June 6th, I posted a response to someone's comment in which I advised them that I do not run. I don't need to be an athlete - just walk daily to exercise the dogs, get into shape, lose weight, and improve my overall health. Reporting my progress to SmoFit became a way of holding myself more accountable. Knowing they would ask how I was doing, I might force myself to go out and walk even when I really didn't want to.

Following further pushing encouragement from SmoFit on hearing about my intent to enter walking events, I soon found myself looking at the Couch-to-5K plan. And then, I downloaded the podcasts.

Tonight - I ran.

I went out with my iPod, the 3 oldest children and both dogs. I listened to the podcast. And we followed it. A 5 minute warm up walk, followed by alternating 60 seconds of jogging with 90 seconds of recovering walking, and a 5 minute cool down walk.

11 days from "I don't run" to "I ran". That has to be some kind of record, even for Smofit pushers ladies.