C25K

I want to run a scientific study to find out if there are more runners per capita on military bases than ANYWHERE in the solar system?! When I jumped on the "Army Wife" ship..it was like I had on a bright pink shirt that had been "bedazzled" with "Hey, y'all...I can't run more than 100 feet without throwing up!".....and everyone else was wearing running shorts, sleeveless t-shirts and perfectly tuned running shoes and socks....and they were hopping up and down and "staying warm" and getting focused. Me? I was standing in the corner with my bedazzled shirt, sipping sweet tea and frying chicken.



Let's take a glimpse back to 1986. I was 16 years old and naturally thin....still round....still a non-runner....but chunky was not my issue. The Mount Sterling Junior Miss Pageant (not to be confused with "THE BIGGEST THING IN THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE AND WORLD AND....DID I SAY 'UNIVERSE"?")....Junior Miss is HUGE in my sweet hometown. Just gigantic and I'll never forget one category. We had to wear these one piece red outfits.....dance around like teeny boppers to Katrina and the Waves singing "Walking on Sunshine"....air guitar (the WORKS!)...and this was the "PHYSICAL FITNESS" portion of the pageant. Oh, my gosh! PHYSICAL FITNESS? Oh, those blasted cheerleaders were in JM too....what if the judges noticed that I was MORE out of breath than THEM? NOT GONNA HAPPEN! So, I went to the track that circled around the football field and attempted to jog.....and I thought.....this is for the birds. I hate jogging.....I hate jogging....it hates me....we are enemies....jogging is for OTHER people....not me....I quit. So - I quit. I made it through "Walking on Sunshine" and lost JM because of my grades....another blog....another day. Trust me....



1993 - newly married to an army guy. John decided we could jog together and bond. Poor John...little did he know that even a sparkly Junior Miss crown and title couldn't entice me to run around painfully....we tried to jog and about 5 minutes into our "run" (such a LOOSE translation...I literally just hopped around at a walking pace.....) he told me to walk. Smart move buddy. "Anybody have a glass of sweet tea I can have???"

(Please insert years of cooking heavy meals - having babies - moving from the US
to Europe back to the US and back to Europe - failed attempts at losing weight -
no attempts at running again - babies starting to grow up - 40th birthday
approaching - a new look in the mirror.)

I know I know...I've mentioned the dreaded 40th birthday before and I stand beside my claim that I am NOT having a crisis....but 1 year ago something happened. My sweet oldest son was chubby and he hated it. He started running and he was still chubby. He got SERIOUS about running - which included fueling his body correctly AND running - and he has slimmed down into a confident, strong 14 year old. He is such a cutey....I just pinch his cheeks and wonder where my baby went. 3 weeks ago he sat down at the computer and wrote me a letter....and he handed it to me and he cried. I can't share it with you (you understand, right?) but it was along the lines that God had inspired him to discover himself and be more than what he was as a sullen chubby kid and that now God wanted him to share that with me. Oh, poop....God AND Andrew wanted me to run. Do they even understand that THE JUNIOR MISS CROWN AND A NEW HUSBAND had both failed???? Andrew didn't know....but God did. He was there.



C25K - it's a REAL running program. It's called "Couch to 5K" and if you have EVER been near a military community you know that these folks are the authors of 5K runs. They have them ALL OF THE TIME and they are practically a religion. 2 years ago I told the kids we were going to "do" a 5K together. Run if you can run....walk if you need to walk. Cat and I walked.....and as we were walking and scores of folks passed us...we held our head up high. Then....a wounded soldier in a CAST.....yes....a CAST.....limped past us and was now ahead of us....we turned around in humiliation and went back to the finish line to wait on the others. HUMILIATION.



C25K - here we are and I am prouder than a small town girl on Homecoming night to tell you that I have finished...nay....CONQUERED WEEK 1! Oh, yes I have! That's right, runners...pull up your running shorts and get ready for some 39 year year old competition...the girl who you have long ignored (except when you want some forbidden sweet tea or some pan fried chicken!) is gaining on you. I can now run 60 seconds without throwing up!! SIXTY ENTIRE SECONDS! (Now...put your hands in the air with your palms facing the sky....move them up and down and turn from side to side and say "Hey.....Ho.....Hey.....Ho.....Here we Go!!!"....a little celebration dance.)

http://www.c25k.com/

Apparently someone noticed that not everyone was running (gasp!) and they created a program that claims you can take a non-runner and in 8-9 weeks become a 5K participant. Not a winner....not a record breaker.....not an Olympian....a participant. And you know what??? That sounds like a plan I can live with. I have never been a participant and I am so excited that there is hope on the horizon for my chubby self....



I can't wait to hop around warming up and looking focused and waiting for the starting gun to "pop"....and I run with real runners. This makes me almost giddy....almost....I DO have 7 weeks to go and you....my sweet blog friends....get to follow my progress. Who needs "give-aways" when you have a "fluffy-mommy-army wife" learning to run and you get to follow the progress? You are so lucky.

My eternal thanks to:

Andrew - my 14 year old trainer who warms my heart and keeps my time and loves me

Katherine - my friend and confidant who absolutely ROCKED a two piece on the beach last week

Michele - my sweet friend who moved away last week...who claims to run so she can eat raspberry danish and walks likes a speed walker

My Momma - who provided the right amount of "ooos and ahhs" when I told her about C25K and said things like "WOW"

My Daddy - Who always made me wonder what I was missing when he laughed about the "city boys" who joined the army with him and couldn't run...poor city boys...you GO Daddy!

Army guys - who make running look cool and hunky...yes you do...

My husband, the ultimate hunky army guy - who "high-fives" me after a run and calls me "Beautiful" and says things like "You look thinner"....you sweet talker you.