I Think I've Lost My Mind

I have this friend, Natalie, that I follow online.

And really, I should say "friend" because as I sit alone at home and read her blog I think of her as my friend. Although the sad truth is that we have never met and she has no idea who I am.

No, I'm not a creepy stalker.

I don't think.

But I have found myself saying things to my husband like, "My one online friend says..." because it's much easier than explaining the truth to him.

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago she posted How to run and not hate it (even when you still do): in 6 (somewhat easy, or excrutiatingly painful) steps.

And I'll admit, this post inspired me.

I don't run. I've never wanted to run. I could never understand why people wanted to run. But after reading her post I had this strange desire to try it. I mean, she hated it too, right? And now she loves it. And it's simple to do. (Notice that I said simple, not easy.)

I thought to myself, "Self, what if there's a runner in you and you've just never given her a chance. What if she's waited her whole life for you to step up your game and let her out? She's probably named Joan...because that's a good name for a runner. And if I let her out, I can transform into Sara-Joan, the super runner. Perhaps my legs would even grow long and skinny. And I'd move with grace. Yes, Sara-Joan is definitely more graceful than just plain Sara, short and stout. "

Um...okay, enough of my inner thoughts, they get weird.

Anyway, I sat on this idea for a couple of weeks. My husband is always going on about how he wants to start running again. What if we did it together and encouraged each other?

So this weekend we made the commitment. We didn't follow the same plan as Natalie. Instead, we chose to do the Couch-to-5K plan. This way, we could trade off running times. One would walk with the kids while the other ran up and back, then switch.

This morning was our first run.

That's right, I went running this morning.

Seriously. Can you believe it?? I can't.

How did it go?

Well...I'm not sure how to answer that. I thought I was going to kill over after my first 60 seconds of running. But the 90 second break was enough rest to give it a try again.

As I went, both my running and walking became slower and slower.

But we finished our 20 minutes.

I was exhilarated.

I did it!! I ran!!

And then the light headedness set in, followed by the nausea.

Bleh.

It took about an hour of sitting and drinking lots of water to feel like a normal human being again.

Really, I still kind of hated it. But I'm determined to give it a chance. I mean, when I first started working out it took a few weeks before I began enjoying it. So I think that running deserves the same chance.

How else will I ever become the graceful Sara-Joan?



P.S. This was totally me this morning:


(Not sure where this image originates from, sorry)