Yo corro.

So was yesterday depressing enough for you? It depressed me just reading that silly post. Today I still have all the same work to do but I'm much less stressed. I'm back to that "I just don't care if it all gets done" place ... a much better place if you ask me [laugh!].

So today I thought I'd focus on something a bit more positive. I haven't been sharing my running progress and today S and I hit another milestone so it seems like a good time to post about it.

As some of you may remember, back in mid January S and I decided to start a Couch to 5K program using Robert Ullrey's podcasts. We went out and equipped ourselves (new shoes, new running clothes, new mp3 player for me -- love my little 1 GB Sansa Clip MP3 Player!) and off we went.

Those first days I never believed I'd actually run for minutes at at time (yep you read that right, meaning more than 1 ... the program starts with run a minute, walk, run a minute, walk ... and even that was a challenge!). Over the past 3 months, S and I have been slowly but surely working our way through the program. Now if you count the weeks you'll realize that we should be through the program but we're not. Life happens you know and my goal was simply to try to run, not to make or break get to a 5K in 9 weeks.

I made it through the place where you run 20 minutes (all without a break!) and was so proud of myself. The next week has you run 25 minutes in a row.

I have learned that for me, where I am in the program now, about 75% of it is in my head, not my body. I really had a hard time getting to that 25 minutes. I kept "needing" a walking break. Then a bit over a week ago S's ipod died and so I ran with him (running a day I had already finished -- the 20 minute run). This time the 20 minute run seemed easier. Somehow *knowing* I could run 20 minutes in a row (and didn't really *need* a walk break at the 10 or 15 minute mark) really made a difference for me. Over the next week I gradually ran 21 minutes in a row, 22 minutes in a row, and finally 25 minutes in a row. Yeah!

This week S and I ran together (again repeating week 6 for me) and today we both ran 25 minutes in a row! I won't pretend it was a walk in the park but the truth is I can do it. I went from not being able to run for 8 whole minutes (with walk breaks every minute) at the beginning to running 25 minutes without a break. This is truely hard to believe. In fact, I think there must be some major crack in the foundation of the universe somewhere in order for this to be true.

It is a big accomplishment for both S and I to get to this point. Our program now has us run 25 minute runs for a week, then 28 minute runs for a week, and then finally 30 minute runs. Getting to the end no longer seems impossible. I know I'm going to want to take breaks and now I *really know* that that is just my brain, not my body talking.

S and I will perserve and maybe in a few more weeks our hearts & lungs won't know what hit them!

This is definitely a positive to focus on -- yeah for health and for life outside of work!