I guess I run now

mmmmmm guacamole. I love guacamole, especially on really good restaurant chips & the guacamole is chunky & refreshing & just cool enough to balance out the salt on the rim of your margarita.

Sorry, just fantasizing.

This is a bit of a long one, so bear with me.

I’ve been really worried lately cause I can’t seem to get into the groove of this running thing. I’m huffing and puffing & it seems to be getting harder each week, not easier, & I’m on the treadmill wondering what kind of idiot thinks it’s natural to go from 2 3-minute runs one week to 2 3-minute and 2 5-minute runs the next. I mean, hello? & why does the Couch to 5K podcast guy say things like “don’t worry, you’re ready for this” and “you can do it!”? Arrrgggh! I want to crawl through my MP3 player and wring his freakin’ neck when he says things like that!

So I’ve been wondering how I’ll ever run this 5K I’ve signed up for in May. I know I can walk it since I walk a little over 3.5 miles a day in the summer, but I want to run. I want to run the whole 5K. I want to run lots of 5Ks. I want to train for a 10K and maybe even a marathon. I want that lean runner’s body. I want to be the type of person who says annoying things like “oh, I’ll just die if I can’t get my run in every day!” But I haven’t been able to see myself reaching that goal at all lately. The runs have just been too damn hard to do.

So I’m visiting my husband for a few days, which means I have to run at his student rec center. This is bad. I’ve only run at home on my own treadmill. & this is a university rec center so you practically have to get permission from the provost to walk into the place wearing anything bigger than a size 2. But the only thing that scares me more than looking like a struggling ass in front of these teen beauties is not running and losing what little stamina I’ve built up.

So I went today. & here’s the deal: my home treadmill sucks. It’s probably okay for walking, but not for running. The treadmill I used at the rec center was awesome. I did the walks on 3.0 (except the last), the runs on 3.8 (except the last minute on 4.2), and the cool down and an additional 3 minutes on 3.5. And it was FUN! I loved it! I could’ve run for longer intervals, I think. On Tuesday I’ll try to run faster and longer. I think I’m a runner now folks!

So from now on I’m going to run at the Y or outside & leave my home treadmill for walks only. I’m so pumped for my next run and for week 5! OMG, did I just say that?!