Lacing Up

Earlier this summer, I dusted off my running shoes and decided to give it a go again. I started with the Couch to 5K running plan and S-L-O-W-L-Y started to run. The first time I had to run 20 minutes without stopping, I thought I was going to die. Fortunately, my brother-in-law went running with me and cheered me every step of the way.

(Actually, I recall about 17 minutes into the run, we passed a house with a ginormous University of Oregon flag hanging out. Tom told me that if I stopped then, I'd have to be a Duck fan forever. Needless to say, I kept running.)

Well, it hasn't been pretty. I'm way out of shape compared to 2 years ago when I ran a half marathon. I've since hurt my back and gained 30+ pounds back. It's a lot harder to run with those pounds on my frame. But I keep running.

 

This week, I finally made it through a 5K. Today, I even finished about 2 minutes faster (judging from the point on my playlist when I stopped.)

I've signed up for my first race in 2 years. I'll be running Adam's Race on September 30. Adam was the brother of one of my friends who took his life a few years ago. Proceeds from this race go toward education on mental health and depression.

So I'm going to keep lacing up and hitting the streets. Eventually I might enjoy running again...for now, it's still miserable, but I'm pushing through.