I Thought Regular Exercise Could be Exhausting - Then I Started to Run

{05-28-14}

I have been toying around with the idea for a while now to participate in a race:  i.e., running.  I have more and more friends running regularly and that really piqued my interest.  Their pics at the finish line show such accomplishment on their faces.  One of my sisters-in-law even introduced me to Couch to 5K (C25K) as a fitness program that she was using to get into shape.  Now, I'm not wanting to do it because "everybody else" is doing it; I need to exercise on a regular basis anyway.  My body is not in the shape it needs to be in due to lack of proper diet and exercise.  I have forgotten Who gave me this body to take care of.  "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies." (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, NIV).  And in learning way more about the pancreatic cancer my Dad died from than I ever wanted to know, I learned about PurpleStride.  It raises money that goes toward funding research and other services for patients (in all stages) and their family members.  Anything I can do to support other families like ours, I'm in.  Last year I raised some money but wasn't present at the local event.  This year, I want to be in it - doing.

Anyone who knows me knows I don't run and might possibly question my sanity in thinking it's a good idea.  I can honestly say that I can be a queen of excuses and could have come up with several somewhat decent reasons for not starting:  my "blessed chest" (those who have one know exactly what I'm talking about); bronchial spasms that can cause me shortness of breath; the high heat and humidity.  I can also honestly say that I am an extremely lazy and unmotivated person and can easily talk myself out of something I need to be doing.   But I had to start somewhere.  Once I decided I was going to start doing this running thing, I chose to go with a C25K mobile app.  It tells me what I need to do when the timer is up so I don't even have to take my eyes off of the trail to know what I need to do next (any avoidance of tripping over my own shoe is welcomed).

So, the Lord granted me another day and I woke up this morning.  I remembered what I had planned to do.  A part of me wanted to stay home and not do it.  But, thankfully, some silent motivation, common sense, and some prodding from the Holy Spirit won over and my son and I headed to the park so I could walk and run the trails while he went along for the ride in his stroller.

Oh.My.Word.  What was I thinking?

The 30-minute exercise routine didn't seem all that bad when I read over it the night before:  a 5-minute warm-up with a brisk walk, then alternating a 60-second jog with a 90-second walk (for 20 minutes), finishing up with a 5-minute cool-down walk.  It didn't even seem all that bad when I started my first jog.  "This isn't so bad; I can do this."  Can I tell you that my body is a LIAR?  It seriously needs to repent for leading me on like that!  The warm-up walk itself left me catching my breath and less than 30 seconds into the first jog, I was very out of breath but plugged along and finished out the minute.  It wasn't as bad as I thought.  Until the next jog, then the next.  You would think the 90-second walks inbetween jogs would be enough to catch your breath - now my brain is lying to me.  I can tell you that it isn't for someone in my shape.  The build-up of not catching your breath catches up with you as you mosey along.  I'll admit that I did take a couple of short breaks but I did make it over halfway before doing so <patting myself on the back>.  I'll also admit I could have laid down in the middle of the trail on more than one occasion and called it quits.

But I didn't.

I tried not to look at the timer counting down on my phone and wonder why it was moving so slowly (seriously, why does it tell me I only ran for 6 seconds when it clearly felt like 20 seconds?).  I set short visual points to help me make it to the timed goal.  Deep breath in through the nose and out through the mouth.  Just a little further; just 14 more seconds then it was time to walk again.  I did what I could to keep my mind set to short goals and not dwell on how much total time I had left.  And you know what?  I finished without managing to keel over. You know why?  Because "I can do all this through him who gives me strength." (Philippians 4:13, NIV). And it was only just the first day of an 8-week training program and it's bound to get better, right?  The next local PurpleStride event isn't until November so I have plenty of time to get into the shape I need to be in.

I pushed past the excuses:  my "blessed chest - nothing two halfway decent sports bras couldn't handle; bronchial spasms that can cause me shortness of breath - I brought my inhaler and took a preventative puff before getting started; the high heat and humidity - I chose a park that had semi-shaded trails and went before the sun got too high in the sky.  The excuses were conquered, at least for today, and I was no worse for the wear.

We'll see what tomorrow brings.



**Please note that I am not being asked to endorse any of the above entities.  These are just my personal preferences and passions that I'm sharing with you.**