It all started about a year ago. (Not me actually running (ha!), but the idea of possibly, maybe trying it out someday.) I started searching Couch to 5K plans and that's about as far as I got. I now know that God was planting a little seed in my heart that would need some watering before it could grow.
For someone who has never ran a day in her adult life, it seemed so out of reach and overwhelming. God knew I felt that way. And, thankfully, He was prepared to and did help me. I started noticing more local 5Ks that sparked my interest. Some of my friends were participating in 5Ks, and I was always thinking, "maybe someday." And then, my husband announced that a dream of his was to start and host an annual 5K to raise money for the local anti-drug community. At that point I knew it was something I really wanted to do for myself and to be supportive of my man.
Running was something that just kept coming up in my heart and head. At the end of 2011 as I was asking God for direction for 2012, He made it clear to me that my physical fitness life would begin to change in the new year. It was so refreshing to know and felt completely different than anything before. I have been notorious for starting diets and exercise plans and not finishing them. I was to the point I would rather stay overweight than start something new and not finish it. But, when God directed me that 2012 would be different, I really believed it.
January, February, and March came and passed and my heart was still light with the idea that 2012 would be different and that I was a runner deep down inside. Then sweet April came and really watered that little seed that had been budding. In April, my sister Amanda told me about a blog she came across, Eclectic Whatnot. She said, "Kristen, I found this blog about this lady (Ruthanne) who is a busy mom who's lost a lot of weight by doing a Couch to 5K and running! It reminds me so much of you!" I was so excited! This wasn't some crazy fitness lady who had always been a runner, always been a skinny stick, and always ate the most healthy stuff. This was a lady who was a busy mom, who had dealt with issues of being overweight, and had decided that she was going to be a runner. It was absolutely inspiring and freeing to me. It was exactly the motivation I needed to get started on a Couch to 5K plan.
I remember reading this specific blog post of Ruthanne's first, Couch to 1/2 marathon in 7 months, 2 weeks & 2 days, and I was just so emotional and ecstatic. I also remember telling my husband all about this post and crying when I was telling him about Ruthanne's family cheering her on as she ran her half marathon and how her husband stayed with her. I'm not normally a crier, so my husband first asked, "Are you pregnant?" Ha!!! After a big, "NO!" I went on to explain just how precious that was and how much I could relate to her. It just reminded me how important a support system is and would be for me to start and finish this thing.
That was all I needed to get started. I had been sharing with my mom and some girlfriends about doing a C25K and they happily jumped on board. (Thank God!) My friend, Michelle, had a good head start on me and was encouraging and inspiring as well. She signed up for the Susan G. Komen 5K and encouraged us to join her. I downloaded the Couch to 5K (Active.com) app on my husbands Iphone, and our little team got started! My 'team' consists of my momma (Beth), my sister (Rachel), my sister (Amanda -- who is doing it in a different town), my childhood friend Natalie, and my sweet friend Brittany. While Michelle doesn't run with us, we definitely still consider her on our team.
We meet 3 times a week and get our running on! Since we're all either beginners or it's been awhile for us, we have decided to repeat each week so we are comfortable with moving on to the next phase.
Natalie shared a quote that has become our motto, "You can be sore tomorrow or sorry tomorrow." (Or in our case sore today and tomorrow ha!) While there are many days we just don't feel like doing it, we do it anyway. And, we are so glad we did. I'm so thankful for my group of girls and for Ruthanne for being a big encouragement. We've got this!
