Last year, my trainer and I started jogging. It wasn't far maybe a mile around her neighborhood and some days, I looked forward to it, some days I dreaded it but she got me running. I was so excited when last July, I ran every single day- 31 days/ 31 miles. It was something I never thought i would be able to do. It was a great feeling after each run to look at the running app to see what I just did (as the sun rose each day!)
I stopped running in late August when I was in a flare again. I was sad that I couldn't but Crohn's Disease makes it hard sometimes to do my normal day to day things. I put my running dream on hold for a while.
This past March, my trainer mentioned to me that the Recreation department was having a Couch to 5K group to train for the Municipal Alliance 5K at the end of the summer. At that time, I was skeptical but I said I would try it out. I was still in a flare and the idea of me running 3.1 miles scared me. I figured with the right training i could do it.
Well fast forward to June, I was feeling better (thanks to the new medication) and I thought it myself “ this is such a great idea to do!” I can do this!
The very first meeting with the group- It poured! It was almost like a monsoon! I giggled to myself thinking, was this God’s way of saying, maybe this isn't for me. Nonetheless we had an orientation meeting with the the Pacers. The pacers were the experience runners that would be helping us attain our goals. They would run with us and basically give support. At the meeting, they explained the logistics of the Couch to 5K and how it will work. We would be using the orange Couch to 5K app (C25K) for the program. In the pouring rain, under the pavilion, there was about 50+ dedicated people there. I was impressed to see how many people came out in the rain. It was really crazy to see! I saw a few women I knew from work and around town and I felt a little better. We split up into three groups- Group A are beginners and for people who haven't run in a long time. Group B are people who can run but for no longer than 10 minutes and the Group C are the experienced runners.
HI Group A! I was totally surprised to see how many Group A-ers there were!
We left the orientation meeting and I felt excited and a little nervous.
Wednesday was my first run with the App C25K. I was nervous but excited. I had responded to a post on the Couch to 5K that some of the pacers would be at the park on Wednesday Morning. Since I took Wednesday’s off in the summer I thought that would be perfect time to start! 3 pacers showed up and me! I offered to go on my own but they would not have it! All the pacers were experienced runners but they were all so accommodating to me! We did Week 1 Day 1 Group A. It was the perfect introduction to running again. It is so much easier to run with other people and chat than it is to run by your self. I left with an energetic feeling. We also found a rock- you know those river rocks people paint and hid? We found ehm, someone gave it to us!
After the run with the pacers, I thought, this is going to be a fun way to spend my Monday nights!
At our first group run, it was amazing to see the amount of people who actually came out. Over 75 people came out to run Week 2 Day 1. The energy that was being sent around was also awe inspiring too! I have never felt so much positivity from a group like this.
As the weeks have been going on, more and more people are joining the Facebook group to see the awesome progress that is happening.
Each time you run- either by yourself or with a group or with the group run, the pacers suggest you take a selfie and you post it on the Facebook page. Every single day someone is posting a selfie after they have run and its so inspiring. I love seeing participants get their families and dogs involved. We are not only building a healthy lifestyle but we are having fun doing it. (I know you probably never heard of fun and running in the same sentence!)
I am in week 6 and it has been a crazy ride! I never thought i would be excited to run and look forward to run each day.
I am looking forward to the 5K at the end of July and I am already planning on what outfit I want to wear. I am leaning towards a big bow in the back!
Do you run? What apps do you use when you run?
For my first time running, I think I did a great job. I met lots of friends and got to be outside. I am so proud that I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and accomplished what seemed like a scary thing. It took me 35:02.7 minutes and my pace was 11:17. I was the 101 female and 7th in my age group.
Here are some favorite photos from the race:
Run happy!
