Reaching Goals, One Step at a Time

Two months ago, I sat down and set a goal for myself: run a 5k with my dad at the end of July. For some of you, that's not a big deal. For me, it was. You see, the last time I ran was 5 years ago. My midsection (and the rest of me, for that matter) proves that. I have wanted to get healthy again for a long time, but can't stay motivated. Being lazy and gluttonus is just so much easier! So I asked my dad if he'd help me by running a 5k with me. He agreed, I paid for our registrations, and then I was stuck. It had to happen.

The first day of summer vacation found me at the local park with a running trail so that I could start training. I got about 1/2 mile in and wanted to die. I thought, "How in the world am I ever going to do this? This sucks!" And I was sore! It turns out that if you don't work out for years on end, you feel it hardcore when you start up again. But I'd committed, and the pops was texting me about his training and asking about mine, so I had to keep going.

Slowly (and painfully), I made it to a mile, a mile and a half, two miles, and before I knew it, I could run the required 3.1 miles. I even ran 4.5 miles one day, just to prove to myself that I could do it. I was super excited to see myself making such progress. After all, I'd started so poorly that I wasn't sure if I'd be able to make it the 3 miles.

 Let's get a few facts straight here, in case you are confused. I am short and my legs are super stumpy. This means that running 3.1 miles for me takes twice the steps it takes for pretty much any other fully grown adult. So I am slow. And I'm okay with that. As I trained, my time did improve, but I know I'm never going to be fast. That's not the goal, though. The goal is to actually be able to complete the 5k, so if I run a 46 minute mile but I'm running the whole time, so be it.

I felt ready, and I felt happier about myself than I had in a long time. And then the race came. Dad and I were excited and were ready. He told me he was glad we'd taken this challenge because he was in better shape than he'd been in 25 years. So both of us were feeling pretty great about the journey. But to make the goal complete, we had to run the race. His goal - 30 minutes or under. My goal - 40 minutes or under. Both of us were unsure if we could make those times. We agreed to meet at the finish line (or he'd be walking because his legs are twice as long as mine). We lined up, and off we went.

If you've never run a 5k, let me tell you what it's like. It's hell. You think you're ready, you're super pumped, you've got all this adrenaline pumping, and then you take off in a group the size of a school bus. For some reason, this messes up your tempo, and it takes a bit longer than normal to find your pace. Because of this and because of the adrenaline, you get tired faster. Oh, and did I mention that there is a 4234 foot elevation difference between Idaho Falls and Louisville? That was killing me. I worried I wasn't going to make it. I forced myself to keep running. Good thing Queen, thanks to my iPod, told me that I was the champion for 5 kilometers, or I might have died. I was one of the few people I saw who never walked, and that was great to know I could do that. As I rounded the bend on the last turn, I saw my dad walking back to find me. I waved, he waited till I ran to him, and then he ran the last bit with me, coaching me on. I crossed the finish line, pleased that I'd made it. We then attempted to return our breathing to normal and waited for the official times to be released (we were a little too preoccupied to pay attention as we were crossing the finish line).

The results? Scooter ran a 9.08 average minute mile for a total of 28.21 minutes (well under his goal). I ran a 12.00 average minute mile for a total of 37.16 minutes (well under my goal). We were both thrilled that we'd been able to run it that fast. And honestly? I timed myself 2 weeks ago and ran 3.1 in about 45 minutes, so I did WAY better than I thought I would. We were so pumped. We both agreed that the actual running part wasn't so much fun, but it was great to know you'd done it and to have succeeded in our goals. Both of us want to run another one. I'm signed up for a 4 miler at the end of September and Dad's looking into another 5k in October.

Proof we actually ran a 5k.

So what are the long term benefits (and by long term, I mean what's changed since I started running)?Two months of running didn't completely transform my body - I didn't go from Jim Gaffigan to Jessica Biel or anything - but it wasn't about getting skinny. Sure, I'd like to be thinner, but more than that, I want to be healthy. If I'm active and making healthy choices, that's really what matters. After all, if I'm skinny but out of shape, the fat girl who's in shape will survive the zombie apocalypse while my skinny little bum (and brain) get devoured! I'm more fit than I've been in 5 years, and while I'm not at my thinnest, I'm really excited to see the mental and physical changes I've gone through already. I hope that looking at it in this way will help me make this a lifestyle change so that I can continue to be healthy and to know that I'm fit.