NSV ... though I may regret it tomorrow.

aeckels616
aeckels616 Posts: 210 Member
edited September 26 in Success Stories
In high school, I was always one of the last 3 people to finish the weekly "mile run" in P.E. that I dreaded like torture. I couldn't run a full mile to save my life, and usually walked most of it.

For some reason completely out of character, as I entered my 30's I decided to take up running as a challenge. The normal pattern I've I worked my way up thus far is 1) jog a full mile, 2) walk a quarter-mile, then repeat until I run out of time or steam, whichever comes first. The most I have ever, ever run doing these intervals is 6 miles.

Today, I decided to push myself and run a full 5K without stopping to walk.

I did it. At the end, I wasn't nearly as exhausted as I was expecting to be.

So I did it again.

My bunions are sore, my bad knee hurts, and I can tell tomorrow is going to be a walking-only day. It took me a full hour and 15 minutes even if you don't count the pause between the two 5K's while I reprogrammed my jogging app.

But I didn't die. And I'm feeling pretty dang good about that.

Replies

  • LoveLiveLift
    LoveLiveLift Posts: 459 Member
    Awesome! You're an inspiration! :smile: I bet that felt wonderful.
  • merB89
    merB89 Posts: 122
    That is quite the achievement! Nice job!!
  • wdwghettogirl
    wdwghettogirl Posts: 559 Member
    *Applause!!* Nice job! I'm still working on my jogging/running stamina.
  • Picky_nikki
    Picky_nikki Posts: 405 Member
    Nice job! Ice your knees, and make sure to stretch, and you should be fine! :)
  • ash15nicole
    ash15nicole Posts: 131
    AWESOME!! keep it up!
  • kacarter1017
    kacarter1017 Posts: 651 Member
    WOW!! Excellent!
  • kendf60
    kendf60 Posts: 234 Member
    Great accomplishment!
  • thomalr6180
    thomalr6180 Posts: 94 Member
    That is totally awesome. Sometimes we don't know what we can do until we push ourselves.
  • b00b0084
    b00b0084 Posts: 729 Member
    Turning 27 and feeling like I have an "old" body (my knees pop when I kneel or squat, I am stiff in the mornings, and my feet swell) made me really want to take up running. I am going to start working on it tomorrow. You are an inspiration! Keep it up and great job. Also I add, ICE, ICE, ICE, ICE!!! Ice those achey knees!
  • Great work and way to push yourself! The only way to reach a goal is to just reach out and grab it sometimes. Just remember, no matter how bad you feel tomorrow, it won't be that bad next time.
  • westcoastSW
    westcoastSW Posts: 320 Member
    Holy cow that is fantastic!! What an inspiration! I hope to be able to do that someday soon :smile:
  • emma44ny
    emma44ny Posts: 141 Member
    That's so awesome. I was doing almost the exact same thing. I would run a mile, then stop and walk... repeat. And then one day I just kept going and what I realized was that the first two miles aways felt the worst and the ones that followed didn't really feel too bad at all! I'm finally just over four at a time and I think this week I will shoot for 5 just to torture myself. I too have never been a runner so this is purely a challenge. Good luck and keep going with it! I have my first 5k nect month and am looking at a 10k in the late summer/ early fall! Who knew?!?!
  • kimeister
    kimeister Posts: 212
    This made me laugh! It reads like: "I ran a 5k and lived. So, you know, I ran another one." LOL! Absolutely fantastic job. Be sure to get lots of protein today to repair those muscles.
  • aeckels616
    aeckels616 Posts: 210 Member
    Thanks all for the encouragement! It's been several hours and I'm still feeling good - even my bad knee is doing surprisingly well. Ice and protein - check. One of my long-term goals is to run a 10K without stopping at all ... I'm starting to believe I will actually be able to do that one day :)
  • suzooz
    suzooz Posts: 720 Member
    Great job! Thanks for the inspiration!
  • ajk828
    ajk828 Posts: 335
    That is seriously phenomenal!!!! Just ice those knees and you should be good to go. If you're sore tomorrow then just listen to your body and rest. Who knows, you may end up surprising yourself and not being sore at all!!

    Congrats :drinker:
  • bellarox13
    bellarox13 Posts: 95 Member
    I started running 10 days ago and have built up to 1.2km's lol. Not much to some but great for me. I can't wait to build up to 5km's and more.
  • angp7711
    angp7711 Posts: 324 Member
    I LOVE this story thanks for sharing. The most I have gotten is 3 miles. I would never think to through another three in. You should be so proud!

    Smiles :)
    Ang
  • I was one running in the last 3 or so along with you, and I have too picked up jogging/walking. I wish I had your scenery though. I walk more than I jog at this point, but I keep trying to push myself to go a little further each time. When I tried this last year, I got up to almost 1 mile (I thought it was a mile at first), and I was so proud of myself. But then I went on vacation and had a hard time getting back into it. So, here I am again, starting over. I hope one day to run a 1/2 marathon. That is my ultimate goal. I have a long way to go, but you have always been an inspiration......Keep up the good work...you never stop amazing me!!

    since I'm here, does anyone know what would cause the outside of the ankles to hurt very much just while walking? I got a really nice pair of running shoes last year. The people even watched me walk, then recommended these particular shoes. So I got them, and seemed fine last year, but a year later, my ankles seem to be giving me problems. Anyone know why this might be?
  • carpediem3
    carpediem3 Posts: 320 Member
    Awesome job!!
  • Jorra
    Jorra Posts: 3,338 Member
    That's amazing! I've never been able to run even a half mile. I often have dreams about running freely, and I can't wait until I can do it! You've let me know it's possible!
  • WOW!!!! You're a ROCKSTAR! Thanks for sharing-- it's so inspirational and gives me hope that maybe one day I will feel like running a 5K for no particular reason... and then run another one right after. Hehehe. One step at a time for me!! Way to go!! :o)
  • allimax2002
    allimax2002 Posts: 83 Member
    Thats awesome! I'd love to run a 5k but currently walking to the mailbox is a struggle! Keep up your good work!
  • Mamapengu
    Mamapengu Posts: 250
    does anyone know what would cause the outside of the ankles to hurt very much just while walking? I got a really nice pair of running shoes last year. The people even watched me walk, then recommended these particular shoes. So I got them, and seemed fine last year, but a year later, my ankles seem to be giving me problems. Anyone know why this might be?

    Shoes only last so long. between the bottom sole and where your foot lands is a lot of soft area that breaks down, sometime between 6months or 500 miles. One year on a pair of shoes is a long life. Take the insole out of your shoes and try to bend them up in half- if you can they are worn out and not giving you what you bought them for. Also, as you get stronger your gait may change and you may need a different type of shoe. It may simply be time to go get re-fitted for new shoes.
  • ejohndrow
    ejohndrow Posts: 1,399 Member
    That is freaking awesome. I've been trying to run more and more and I say screw it after a mile. Keep it up.
  • aeckels616
    aeckels616 Posts: 210 Member
    I was one running in the last 3 or so along with you, and I have too picked up jogging/walking. I wish I had your scenery though. I walk more than I jog at this point, but I keep trying to push myself to go a little further each time. When I tried this last year, I got up to almost 1 mile (I thought it was a mile at first), and I was so proud of myself. But then I went on vacation and had a hard time getting back into it. So, here I am again, starting over. I hope one day to run a 1/2 marathon. That is my ultimate goal. I have a long way to go, but you have always been an inspiration......Keep up the good work...you never stop amazing me!!

    since I'm here, does anyone know what would cause the outside of the ankles to hurt very much just while walking? I got a really nice pair of running shoes last year. The people even watched me walk, then recommended these particular shoes. So I got them, and seemed fine last year, but a year later, my ankles seem to be giving me problems. Anyone know why this might be?

    Keep at it, Steph, I know you can do it - TRUST me, if I can do it, ANYONE can. As for the sore ankles... I really don't know. Are you still doing the 30 Day Shred? I know some of those exercises can be bad if you roll your ankles. I started having problems with the outside of my knees hurting once I got to Level 3. I began using knee braces and it seemed to take care of the problem. I rarely need them anymore, but use them if my knees start to feel off, swollen or weaker than normal. So you might try taping your ankles for a while and see if that helps. Post this question in its own thread and see if you get responses from some trainers or something.
  • aeckels616
    aeckels616 Posts: 210 Member
    I took it easy yesterday and just walked. Then today, I tried running 2 5K's again. I think I was afraid it was just a one-time fluke.

    But it wasn't. In fact, today I shaved 5 minutes off the first 5K and 6 minutes off the second just by pushing myself to take longer strides any time it started to feel "comfortable." While a 31:50 5K isn't anything to brag about in some circles, it feels like I just conquered the world :)

    Seriously, y'all. If I can do this, so can YOU.
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