UPDATE: Couch-to-5k (end of week 9)

9 weeks ago, I started a training program that has been used by thousands of people to get them started in running. The name is “Couch to 5K” and it can be found over at the Cool Running website. It claims to take you from never running to running a 5k in 9 weeks. I was skeptical for one main reason:

I HATE RUNNING!!!!

But, there’s other things I hate more than running, like not being around for my children’s graduations, weddings, and children. I also hate the idea of becoming a fat preacher because, well, honestly, there’s already an over-abundance of those. So, as much as I hate running, I figured it beat the alternative of being dead even while I’m alive, and so I gave the program a shot. Here are the results:

Week 1, Day 1:
I ran/walked 1.2 miles in 20 minutes. Yes, that is a blistering 16:40/mile pace. I weighed 207 pounds. I’d like to think that most of that was muscle, but people know me and so it makes it hard to live with that delusion. I do have a fairly large frame, so I can carry that much weight without looking overweight. But the point is that I don’t need to carry 207 around.

Week 9, Day 3:
Today, I finished my last run of the program. I ran without walking 3.1 miles in 30:26. I won’t know how much I weigh until tomorrow morning when I step on the scales, but last Sunday I was down to 201. I’m hoping to be somewhere at or under 200 (UPDATE: I weighed in at 200 pounds, so I lost a little under a pound a week on the program).

I feel great. I didn’t die. I can play more with my kids now without breathing heavy while trying to convince them that I’m fine when they know I’m not. That alone makes it worth the trouble. I’m not sure if I can say that I still hate running. I think we’re going to date a bit and see if this relationship works out. We’ll see.

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