It all started with a Pedometer...
My husband encouraged me to take advantage of a free pedometer from work, to help increase our activity. Ehh. sure. OK. I wasn't overly enthused about it. But when it came in the mail, it was actually pretty cool! It came with a USB so it would upload the data to their website, where I can view stats, graphs and track my progress. My inner nerd LOVED this. Plus it opened a little friendly competition. We kept tabs on each other to see who had more steps.
I was shocked at just how little activity I was getting. Being a desk jockey for the past 12+ years, I knew I was out of shape, but, damn. It is HARD to get to 7,000 steps a day. That's just about 3 miles. It's really not a lot.
I started to think about our next vacation, in September, 2014. We're going to Disney. Again. Yes, I'm a grown woman and I still love Disney. But that's another story. I thought it may be fun to track on google-maps how far I was walking, virtually. And to hopefully 'walk' to Disney before our trip next year. That's 1,185 miles, one-way. I thought it may be fun to blog about it, and thought of a super clever name and tried to figure out Blogger., (Still trying.) I started tracking my distance in Excel, and didn't have the enthusiasm to try blogger again.
So one night I was out walking our dog, accumulating steps and enjoying the fresh air. I thought, "Hey, I wonder if I can jog from here to that truck without stopping." So I tried. And I made it, and a little bit more actually. And it felt GOOD. Hmmm. "I wonder if I can make it to that fire hydrant.." and so it began.
I have tried Couch to 5K on the treadmill numerous times. I never make it past the second week. Which means I know I can't run more than 1 or 2 minutes at a time. Our treadmill has an automatic incline, I thought it would help me in the long run, but I think it's too hard. I got discouraged, and stopped. But there's something about being outside that is completely different. The air, the wind, the smells, the sun. I love it.
So I started looking at local 5k races that I could work toward. Nothing really stuck out. Uninspired. Then I remembered Run Disney! Given the distance, it seemed silly to fly across the country for a 5k race, so I have my sights set on a half marathon. Half marathon? THIRTEEN miles? I can't even run a half mile. And so the purpose for this blog shifted. This will be a fun way to document my progress, challenges, milestones, etc.
For instance - the other day I was able to run a whole quarter mile without stopping. OMG I was SO excited. Today I did a third of a mile. This is HUGE for me. I know it sounds pathetic, but I have no endurance and little strength. Next is a half mile. Then a WHOLE MILE. I have NEVER been able to do that. Even in high school, I always walked the 'mile test' in gym class.
My next step is to get proper footwear. I know I'm not wearing the best sneakers for the job, so hopefully I'll get to the shoe store tomorrow. I don't have a formal training plan. I'm just kind of winging it, seeing if I can go further each time. Every time I try to follow a plan, I seem to fail and give up, so I'm sticking with what is working for right now.
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