Couch to 5K to a marathon, maybe?

It was around Christmas time (hence the picture of Christmas lights to open this post) that I decided to make a list of New Year resolutions. I didn't want to be generic and go the traditional route of "spend less", "travel more", "lose weight" kinds of options. I was looking for something specific and measurable, something I could look back at and say: Yes, I did that!

I have never been much of a runner. Usually, running for 5 minutes at a time would leave me exhausted and breathless. But a lot of my 2015 was dedicated to fitness, health, clean eating and exercising, so I thought that 2016 is a good year to get serious about running.

I started following #C25K app and I just can't say enough great things about it! It really eases you into running, you can always go at your own pace, and before you know it, you can run for a mile or two!

I gave myself 8 weeks to get ready to run my first 5K. I do a bit of weight training and I play a lot of tennis, so I didn't want to overwhelm my body with too many things happening at once, so I decided to stick to a schedule of running 3 to 4 times per week. 8 weeks time frame gave me just enough time to be strong and relatively confident to do my first race. I chose the "Get your rear in gear" (cool name, right?) 5K race that benefited colon cancer research foundation.

It was a small race (around 400 people), very well organized and with very friendly people! It was so heartwarming to watch the kids do their dash/run before they sent us all off to the 5K course, they were the highlight of my morning!

My main goal for the race was to NOT STOP. Meaning, I planned (and I did!) run the whole course non-stop, no breaks. I did not set any pace or time or any other goals, I just wanted to run without breaks. It was so tempting to run after the "fast" group and try to match their pace. NEVER do that. You never run someone else's race, you only run yours, and always pace yourself and follow the tempo you are used to.

I was very lucky to be able to finish in 26.38 mins. It's a decent time for a first timer, and my plan is to keep on working to improve this time over the next few weeks. And 10K is waiting for me next!!

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