Trying something new

It's been awhile since I've been here, dispensing my advice for positive and enjoyable weight loss.  The truth is, I haven't quite figured out what I thought I'd figured out three years ago, and my journey to good health continues.  Because of this, I'm changing the format of A Positive Weigh to chronicle my journey as I commit to changing my current circumstances.

The other day, I embarked upon a Couch to 5K training program.  It's three days per week for a total of nine weeks.  At the end of the program, if I follow it consistently, I'm supposed to be able to run an actual 5K without stopping or walking.  Because the program is available as an app for my iPhone, complete with voice prompts on when to walk and when to run, I figured I'd give it a try.

I've always wanted to be a runner, but it seemed like an impossible goal.  How many fat girls do you know who are runners?  I kept telling myself I'd start once I'd lost all of my weight.  That day hasn't come, and since I've tried the sit-on-your-ass-and-get-fit program without much success, I decided I might need something a bit more hard-core. 

Last Saturday was Day 1 of Week 1.  It was hot and humid, but I put my hair up, laced up my sneakers, grabbed my iPhone, and took off down the road behind my house.  The first 60-second run segment wasn't too painful, although I was a bit unnerved by my stomach roll bouncing up to hit my boobs as I ran.  This must be why everyone says to get a good sports bra.

By the next run segment, I was gasping for breath, certain that my lifeless body would be found along the side of the road, my iPhone still commanding, "Run, NOW!"

I had a choice:  I could either quit or modify the program so that I could finish it.  I chose the latter.  During the run segments, I'd run as much as I was able and then walk the rest.  Sometimes it was only five or ten seconds' worth of running before I'd be gasping for air and struggling to remain upright from the pain in my legs.  I'd also failed to bring water with me (on a 90+ degree day).  Every painful breath across my parched throat made me resolve to never make this same omission again.

It's bad enough that running on the flat parts of my route was extremely difficult since I'm so out of shape, but the hilly parts of the road were impossible.  It was all I could do to run for longer than a few seconds; no way could I handle running and breathing and hauling my sorry ass up those hills at the same time.

In the beginning of the session, I wondered if my neighbors were looking out their windows at the fat girl struggling to keep running and walking.  Halfway through, I no longer carried if they did.  Quitting simply wasn't an option.  I was going to finish this so that I could post my success on facebook.  Isn't it ridiculous what keeps us going sometimes?

When the voice prompt finally alerted me that my session was over, I limped on weakened legs up the road to my house, breathing heavily, sweating profusely, but supremely proud that I'd finished. 

"Conditions are never just right.  People who delay action until all factors are favorable are the kind who do nothing."  - William Feather