If someone had told me when I was younger that I would one day call myself a runner, I would have slapped them in the face. For most of my life, I was decidedly not a runner. I have pretty painful memories of running a mile as part of P.E. classes through grade school. I was always one of the slowest, and one of the least graceful - when I finally reached the finish line, I was usually wheezing, dripping in sweat, and relatively defeated. That's assuming I even actually ran it, which was rare. Often, I would walk a mile instead, or try to weasel my way out of it entirely.
In 2008, I started a weight loss journey with Weight Watchers. Shortly after beginning that journey, I decided to give running a try using the Couch to 5K program. I cannot recommend this program enough. Couch to 5K really did take me from being an unhappy couch potato to a runner. Granted, it wasn't always pretty, and it wasn't always easy, but I finished the program and ran my first 5K in August of 2009. After that, I started a training plan for an 8K with the goal of running a half marathon.
Running towards my first finish line!
Then life and school and all sorts of other priorities came up and got in the way, and I stopped running. In 2011, I re-started the Couch to 5K program with the intention of finally running that half marathon. And on October 9th, 2011, I finished my very first half marathon!
Since then, I've gone on to run many more 5Ks, 10Ks, and half marathons, including most of the runDisney events, both in Florida and California. I even finished my first full marathon in January of 2013 and I did not die, which is all I really asked for anyway. I know I will never be the fastest runner or the strongest runner, but I run to keep myself sane (and hopefully to fit in my jeans).
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