Not 100lbs lost, not my first marathon...

xenu01
xenu01 Posts: 117 Member
in Success Stories
I know that most of the posts here are for HUGE milestones, but I wanted to post anyway. At 30 years old, I have been running regularly for 1.5 years. Only, the way I've been doing it is that I've been running intervals for the past 18 months. I've been working on cutting my walking distances shorter, and recently my husband, who I run with, pointed out that I'm running much faster these days.

And yet, I was so frustrated, because I STILL couldn't go the whole mile around! Then I saw a forum post on MFP where a member was asking for tips around running a faster mile, and it hit me. WHAM. All of that stuff that people say about wanting to run an _ minute mile means that everyone runs at their own pace!

This was world changing for me. Last week, I was able to run a whole lap by concentrating on my breathing and going quite slowly. And today! Today I ran my first continuous mile. EVER.

I've never run a mile before! Not even in PE in K-12. I would "run" a 20 minute mile via intervals. I don't think I've ever even run around the whole track before last week! But I just ran a mile.

Now, I know there are people here and everywhere to whom this is no biggie. I mean, there are people who run ten miles every single day! But to me, it's a big deal. And I just want to say that it's ok if you're taking forever, and it's ok if you're a slow runner, and it's ok if you've been repeating week 4 of a couch-to-5k app for the past four weeks. JUST DON'T GIVE UP.

Replies

  • brittaney0625
    brittaney0625 Posts: 268 Member
    AWESOME!!! This is a HUGE deal. :) Excited for you!
  • xenu01
    xenu01 Posts: 117 Member
    Thank you! I am so excited. A 5k doesn't seem like an impossible goal for crazy people anymore!
  • pollysileo
    pollysileo Posts: 1 Member
    That's awesome. And it is big deal! And it's great that you've shared it with others because it might help someone else.

    By the way. I've run in a few 5ks and there are always people running. A LOT of people do a lot of walking. So you don't need to wait to sign up for a 5k until you can run the full 3 miles without stopping. I've always found it motivating to have the goal of a race coming. You can do it! Good luck!!!!
  • Betherz82
    Betherz82 Posts: 200 Member
    That's fantastic! It's an awesome accomplishment and you should be proud of yourself!
  • Runningmischka
    Runningmischka Posts: 386 Member
    This is awesome! And one day you will be able to run 3 miles, or 10, or 26.2! With proper training and right set of mind you can do it! When I started running, I could run for 6 minutes only...6 minutes and I was done! If I can do it, so can you :flowerforyou:
  • fithealthygirl
    fithealthygirl Posts: 290 Member
    That's a great accomplishment! Congratulations!
  • HM1971
    HM1971 Posts: 63 Member
    Thank you. I enjoyed your post. I've always been a slow runner. I occassionally see a post on facebook that says "A mile is still a mile regardless if it's 7 minutes or 14...."

    And my FAVORITE quote ever is from John Bingham "The Miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start." I think of that when I run 5K or half marathons.

    I will proudly go out and run my 5 miles this afternoon.....at 12:20 minutes per mile!!
  • NotGoddess
    NotGoddess Posts: 1,198 Member
    I understand exactly how you feel. Congratulations & keep going!
  • squeakyfish
    squeakyfish Posts: 109 Member
    Great success. Way to stick with it!
  • carliekitty
    carliekitty Posts: 303 Member
    That's a huge accomplishment! Grats =)
  • StrongHealthyPowerful
    StrongHealthyPowerful Posts: 98 Member
    Great job! That is a fantastic accomplishment. A mile is no small feat, no matter the speed. I think that the post about running faster may have been mine (although I’ll bet it’s a common thread). I was also never EVER a runner and when I started I was practically begging to be put out of my misery after 30 seconds of running. Haha.

    It is so true that everyone runs at their own pace and faster isn’t always better, especially for us beginners. Take your time. It would be a shame to hurt yourself by trying to go too fast too soon and took yourself “out of the running” completely (pun intended). I’m trying now to ease off the speed just a bit so I can run for longer intervals, and it seems like it’s working. 
  • healthyfoxx
    healthyfoxx Posts: 104 Member
    WOOHOO! That first mile certainly FEELS like a marathon. I was never able to run a mile until I did the Couch 2 5k, either. I never thought I'd be able to!

    Keep going, and keep knocking over more "firsts"!!
  • Thomasm198
    Thomasm198 Posts: 3,189 Member
    Now, I know there are people here and everywhere to whom this is no biggie. I mean, there are people who run ten miles every single day! But to me, it's a big deal. And I just want to say that it's ok if you're taking forever, and it's ok if you're a slow runner, and it's ok if you've been repeating week 4 of a couch-to-5k app for the past four weeks. JUST DON'T GIVE UP.

    Running 1 mile is a big deal. The first time I ever managed to run a full mile, I was bouncing off the walls with happiness. Congratulations.
  • Abakan
    Abakan Posts: 361 Member
    Fantastic work, don't get hung up on speed I use length of time non stop running as my goals. Keep it up.
  • huntermaz
    huntermaz Posts: 37 Member
    Great job, keep working at it! You can do anything you put your mind too!!
  • shirleywjones75
    shirleywjones75 Posts: 1
    :happy: Congratulations!!! Hang in there!!
  • shropshirelass79
    shropshirelass79 Posts: 6 Member
    Well done, that's brilliant
  • christygb
    christygb Posts: 84 Member
    That is a wonderful milestone to be celebrated!!! Congratulations and thanks for sharing.
  • xenu01
    xenu01 Posts: 117 Member
    I came home to so many supportive comments my eyes welled up reading them! Thank you to everyone who posted here. You are all wonderful and supportive people and I wish you all the best as we do this thing together!
  • JoshNorris79
    JoshNorris79 Posts: 20 Member
    Wow! This is a big deal! Good job for you. i've never been able to run a mile continuously either but i am looking forward to trying. this was an inspiration.

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