Introduction

When I was little, I used to race with my best friend and would almost always win.  My legs were slightly longer, and I liked winning.  Then, of course, I started getting taller (and older) and inevitably hit puberty.  Once I started filling out, running became more painful as body parts moved and bounced when before they did not.  I stopped racing and never really tried to again.  This avoidance continued through middle school, high school, and college.  Needless to say I never officially ran the mile.  I jogged and trotted a bit, but ultimately, I walked the mile in anywhere from 12-15 minutes depending on the time of year and weather outside.

Well, I'm now 30 years old and can say that I've never run a mile in my life.  I started studying Tae Kwon Do because running was not a requirement, but since I stopped practicing due to injury, the Head Instructor has changed the requirement, claiming that those with black belts should have more physical fitness and stamina.  Running is now a pre-requisite to testing for black belt.  Those testing for black belt should be able to run 3 miles in 30 minutes, which boils down to a 10-minute mile.

I still have no desire to run, but I do have a desire for that thin black belt that symbolizes an accomplishment of a personal goal I set for myself.  So, Running is my newest goal.  It also ties in with losing weight and improving my endurance.  A friend told me about this program called Couch to 5K, and I'm going to give it a try.  It's supposed to help you gradually build up from nothing to being able to run a 5K.  The Race for the Cure is in June, but sooner than that, I'm going to visit my friend in TX.  She's really into running, and we've never run together, so I'm hoping that I can build up enough by then to go running with her.

The purpose of this blog is to record my new running adventure.  From Day 1 to my first short-term goal, feel free to run to keep up.