Couch to 5k in January!

I was awesome yesterday! So maybe I didn't win any awards but that doesn't matter. Me and my fat self RAN a 5k yesterday in Richmond, ON (part of the city of Ottawa).

A little history: Maybe about a year ago, my friend Kathleen started running. She had gone through her own weight loss journey over the years and had decided that she wanted to try running. I thought she was nuts! I remember on many occasions saying to Kathleen and a few other people "I will never NEVER run!". It just goes to show that never say never is a pretty accurate expression.

I changed my mind about runnning in the fall of 2011. I don't remember what changed my mind. Maybe I was just looking for another challenge, I don't know. Regardless, I bought some gear and started running.

I used a program called Couch to 5k in 10 weeks. In theory, within 10 weeks, you should be able to run 5k. The problem with Couch to 5k is that it assumes that you will run 5k in 30 minutes by the end of 10 weeks. That's not me, but I knew that when I started.

Week 1 was so difficult! I had to run 60 seconds and walk 90 seconds for 20 minutes 3 times during the week. Longest 60 seconds of my freaking life! Week 2 was running 90 seconds and walking 2 minutes 3 times during the week. Eventually, you make your way to running for longer stretches and the walking time decreases.

When I started getting a little more serious about my running, Kathleen asked if I wanted to run a 5k with her in (wait for it) JANUARY! At the time, I was in denial and thought, how bad can it be? But that was something like 3 months before the date of the race and no snow had hit the ground yet. We seem to forget how bad winter can be in this little corner of the world.

Waking up Sunday morning, my worst fear came true: it was cold outside! I know, in January?! No! What a shocker! Sarcasm aside, it wasn't just cold...it was freaking cold! -22C WITHOUT windshield! BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

Kathleen called me in the morning to confirm that we were still going...we convinced each other that we had to try. We only headed outside to stand at the starting line like 2 minutes before the start of the race. At one point, Kat turned to me and said something like: There is a fine line between brave and crazy. She thought we were crazy. I couldn't disagree with her.

By the first k, I was warmed up. By about 3.5k, I wished I was never born! I remember turning to Kat and demanding to know, rather emphatically, where the 4k marker was. Once we hit the 4k mark, I knew I could finish...and I did. I ran the whole thing! It was amazing and I'm so proud of myself. I set a goal and I achieved it. My time did not matter (45:45 BTW...slightly faster than the people walking it but who's counting...). What mattered was that I did it. I continue to surprise myself. I'm much tougher than I think I am.

The nice people at the Richmond Road Race were nice enough to serve us lunch (inside - thank GOD!) after the race. Best soup of my life!