Running a 5K.......

“Do you know that those who run a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.” -1 Corinthians 9:24

Hi Ladies! Can you believe that March is here already? Seems like just yesterday we were ringing in the New Year full of excitement for a fresh beginning in 2010 and here we are 3 months deep into the year. So, you know I have to ask, how are those goals holding up? Are you staying on track? I thought I would fill you in today on how my “Fit by Forty” campaign has been going. Well, let me just say....trying to get Fit by Forty is waaaaaaayyyyyyyy harder than getting Fit by 20 or 30!!!! Oh man! What in the world have I gotten myself into? It would have been far much easier if I had just made my goal to become Fat and Fabulous by Forty...that is much more doable!!

Okay, so I’ve told you that part of my plan to reach my fitness goals was to start running. I am scheduled to run my first 5K in April....April 17th to be exact...and I am training by using the Couch to 5K program. It’s a program where you do walk/intervals and each weekend you increase the amount of time that you run and decrease the amount of time that you walk. My wonderful little sister, Joy, is training to run the 5K with me and we were supposed to train together. It was going to be great. Boy oh Boy...does God have a sense of humor! I bet when I prayed to ask Him to help me meet these goals He said, Sure...this is going to be fun!

Before I go any further, let me tell you about my sister Joy. First, she is only 35...not months away from 40...there is a difference. Next, in her older years she has picked up weight and like most of us she has become inactive....but while in High School, she was MVP of her high school basketball team. She has won numerous awards for her athletic abilities in basketball to include a scholarship to the University of Tennessee-Martin only to be sidelined by a torn ACL. She has also won 1st place in the State for Shot-Put and was a talented Softball player. Get the picture?

My athletic resume? ***Silence...birds chirping***

Okay...so back to the training. We decided in the beginning that at least one day a week we would “run” together and early in January (before the harsh winter temps hit) we decided one windy Sunday to go for a run at the lake. I was feeling strong and looking forward to it. We started out with our warm up...5 minutes brisk walk...no problem....we’re walking, we’re talking. It’s going great. Then the alarm goes off to signal our first run cycle....and ZOOOMMM....my sister takes off into a SPRINT! A SPRINT!!!! What in the world? We are supposed to be JOGGING...HELLO!!! Nobody told me we were training to run against Usain Bolt!!!!

Anyway, where am I while my sister is running the race of her life? I am like a 1/2 mile behind her...huffing, puffing and trying not to embarrass myself by dying out there at the lake. It was horrible! My legs felt like lead. I could NOT breathe. I started having chest pains. The world starting going black. All of these symptoms occurred within the first 15 seconds of the 1 minute interval!!

What in the world had I gotten myself into? I thought running was going to be fun? Somebody lied to me! It’s not! My knees are constantly aching, my shins are always sore and my back is always stiff. Many mornings, when I get on the treadmill, my knees will make the decision that they simply aren’t going to bend for me to run that day and my lungs...sigh...do they have to make me breathe so LOUDLY? It’s embarrassing!

Most days...I want to give up. But I don’t...I keep going and I keep pushing. The whole time that I am running, I keep thinking..”I can do all things thru Christ who strengthens me!”...”God, please give me the strength so that I can finish this workout”...and sometimes even,” I shall not die but Live...LOL”. The point is...it’s hard, very hard...but God never said that our race would be easy. However, I do believe that He will give me the strength that I need to finish. The truth of the matter...with every workout...I am getting stronger and I am already seeing the benefits of getting fit. I am able to run a little longer and a little faster (still not sprinting though). I have a lot more energy during the day and more clothes are fitting better. The best thing so far, I have lost 10 pounds!

I don’t know what goals you are working towards but I hope that I have encouraged you to not give up. And if you have already given up, I hope that you will find the courage to start again. You can do it!



Until next time,
Sasha

Don't forget to cheek back in with me on Monday, March 15th.


Tuesday's Blog: Maria, "Life Unsceipted" English & Español