I've never thought of myself as a runner. I hated basketball in high school because it involved so much running! I am however a huge fan of walking and have walked great sturdy distances in the past for fund raising, fun, and just to get around. I longed for a pedometer in Tokyo. I would have been completely pleased with the daily results.
In May, when Matt and I were on opposite sides of the globe and he was sending me his birthday list, I struck a deal with him that went like this: "I get you what you want for your birthday, and you do the couch-potato to 5K training program with me this summer!" Surprisingly, my youngest (who by the way would be an gold-medal champion if putting butt dents in armchair cushions was an Olympic event) didn't bat an eye and agreed. We both agreed that we'd be there to motivate each other and that we both needed something to get us in shape.
I am here to report that we are in week FOUR and going strong! I am jogging for 5 and 3 minute intervals now and am able to recover relatively quickly between jogs. I was mostly worried about pain and injury (I am no spring chicken after all) and have been pleasantly surprised at how well paced this program is. It's off a cool-running web site.
In the first week, Matt and I set out from the house together and warmed up on a 5 minute brisk walk. I am a fast walker, and could blow way ahead of him. But then, as we started the jog, he would delight in blowing right past ME, allowing me to effectively "eat his dust," as it were. During the walking intervals, I would catch up and sometimes pass him, giving him the opportunity to enjoy passing me multiple times on each run. Were we sucking wind? You betcha!
We worked out together for the first 2 weeks, and then started going out separately, but still sticking to the training schedule. This morning, I got up early and went out with Chris. I simply can't do this in the heat. Matt slept in and ended up running around the block (it's a country block- about 2.29 miles) in the rain. I am proud of him. He's been talking about joining the cross country team this fall. I would be delighted. The coach is a fantastic guy and his friends are all on the team.
I guess my point is that if I can do this, anyone in reasonable shape can do this. Even if you think you are not a runner. I'm not sure I'll keep it up for the long term, but whatever. I'm getting in shape, losing some of the good-food flubber I accumulated in Tokyo recently, and challenging myself to persevere through the nine or ten weeks it takes me to complete the program. Who would have thought? Not me, not in a million years.
