Thursday, March 27, 2008

Running Challenge

I have know for sometime that God has been calling me to better fitness and I will tell you something else I know what he wants for me for my cardio workouts. I have felt Gods call for me to start running. But you see what God seems to have misunderstood about me is that I HATE TO RUN! I have been having this little argument with God for some time and he just doesn't seem to understand that I HATE TO RUN. I even tried at the beginning of the year. I got out there in the morning and tried real hard for about a week and then I noticed the flyer for the spinning classes at the YMCA. I thought that sounded a whole lot more fun than running and so I went and continued going as a bargain with God that maybe he would stop bugging me to run if I went cycling. No such luck! You see when you are running it is just you and God. It is a time when I am forced to rely solely on him and talk to him and pray to him and gasp at him and yell at him as to why I have to be running when I hate it (among other things)! It is also a time when I have to confront my shortcomings and sinful nature (while gasping for air and making my body move in a way it doesn't find natural). I wonder why I gave it up!

I have always admired runners. I have always wanted to be one of those people that just could not get thru a day without a run. However, the few times I tried it, I realized it is not as easy or graceful as experienced runners make it look. It is a lot of very hard work! So anyway, I am going to be obedient to God and run. I know that he will bless me in countless ways but I am not happy about it right now!

I also realized that I needed a better plan than to just get out there and run as it was not working for me. I was getting to frustrated and burnt out (thus the switch to spinning which involves lots of people, an enthusiastic instructor telling you exactly what to do and encouraging you on, and rocking music.) I have also found that running takes a whole different set of endurance skills than spinning. After 2+ months of spinning you would think I might be a little more in shape to get out there and run. Maybe a little, but not so much! I felt a little vindicated Monday in spinning class when a girl who started a couch to 5K program in January came to a spinning class for the first time and couldn't make it thru the class. However, it illustrates the different endurance level needed for running that I just DO NOT HAVE, oh and I HATE RUNNING! So anyway, in my effort to set myself up for success I got a program for couch to 3K in 9 weeks. It gives me a little more direction that putting on shoes and going for a run. It is still not easy. I started today. The goal was to walk briskly for 5 minutes, then run for 60 seconds, and walk for 90 seconds and repeat for 25 minutes. I finished but it was really hard.
Wow, I am really letting everyone know how out of shape I am by telling you that running for a minute at a time was really hard!
However, the blessing in all of this was getting out there while it was still dark and seeing the sunrise! It is really breathtaking. Being outside all alone, gasping for breath, and telling God how much I hated it really put me in a good mood (I am not being sarcastic, it really did!) The moral is that when you do what God tells you to do, good things happen. However, I still have to keep running which is a little disheartening!
All that to say, the reason I am telling you this is to ask if anyone wants to take this couch to 5K challenge with me? It is a 9 week, 3 times a week, 30 minute challenge. I would love to have someone to email encouragements and frustrations with! If not, no biggie but I thought I would throw the challenge out there to see if I had any takers. I am planning on running in the mornings before KJ leaves for work.

5 comments:

Aimee D said...

With all this exercise and good healthy food, I don't think we'll ever come visit again. We'll feel so guilty by all your hard work and how much we laze around on the couch.

In all seriousness, I feel the call to start running again (I can say I was a horrible distance runner at one point in my life) but first I'm going to start working out with a trainer, hopefully. Then I may join you on the couch to 5K thing...or maybe even the KTown marathon :)

Nashvillians Now said...

I have A LONG way to go before I could run a marathon (or even think about it)! I can barely run for one minute without collapsing in a heap. Once, I get to be able to run 3 miles (5K) easily, I may be willing to train for a half marathon. Just maybe the Music City as the Ktown one is really hard with all those hills!

Nashvillians Now said...

Oh, and you have to come visit! I won't let you see my exercise as I will do it before you get up! We can pretend it never happened! The good thing is I can still eat tons of yummy foods and I only have to follow it 80% of the time!

Are We There Yet?? said...

YOU CAN DO IT!!!!! I have been back running now for 18 weeks and the improvement has been phenomonal. I was TERRIBLE in the beginning and now I can comfortably run 4.5 miles. I'm doing a 10K in July, so I'm now training for that in addition to the triathlons.

I'm even contemplating a half marathon in November....NEVER thought that I'd say that!!

Good Luck!

Jennifer said...

I feel so lazy. . .