Have you ever wanted to run a 5K? Why not sign up for one and give it a shot?! Michele took on a 5K this week! She crushed it and, get this… ENJOYED it!!!
I did it! I completed my first 5K! To those of you who don’t know me, this is a huge deal. Fitness is something I never thought I’d achieve. I’m only halfway through A Healthy Balance’s Rockstar program so I am not there yet but I am moving in the right direction. I am at a point in my life where I know I want to be fit and I am working toward that goal. I feel like everyone has my back: Alicia, Kara, my bootcamp mates, family, friends, coworkers – it’s been awesome support.
I am not a runner but I have been running for the past 5 weeks. I run. I trot. I walk. I jog. I am moving forward (usually). Because this was my first 5K I did not have a baseline race to use when determining my time frame/goal. I do wear a pedometer when I practice so I had a general idea of how much time it would take me to complete a 5K so I set a goal for myself.
Coming up to the finish line, I felt a little emotional after seeing the beautiful face, on the posters of Charlotte, the little girl we were running for. I was also emotional because I couldn’t believe that I accomplished what I thought was the impossible. When my friend Kim, who completed the race before me, yelled out my time, I couldn’t believe it! I exceeded my goal by 11 minutes! I am not a runner (yet!) so I certainly didn’t break any speed records, but I was happy just the same! I now have a baseline and I will beat it in my next 5K! Yes, I believe I am hooked. I was told I would be and it’s true.
Back at home, I took a giant leap and donated the clothes that no longer fit. I am not going back there. At my 4 week check-in, I learned that I had lost 4 inches in addition to 5 more pounds. My clothes are fitting differently and some are not fitting at all! I don’t have much in my closet that fits correctly so I will have to work extra hard at eating right and exercising so I can shop for new clothes. I want to wait until I hit goal to do a big shopping spree so my wardrobe is limited at the moment. I hope my coworkers like my new black dress pants because they will be seeing them a lot of the next few weeks!
This is not a diet; this is a long term lifestyle change. It is amazing to my how quickly pounds add up, but how slowly they come off. There is a lot of exercise involved to lose 1 pound! The nutrition tips I have learned from Kara will stay with me indefinitely. I am already planning healthy menus for summertime pool parties! Maybe I’ll even wear a bathing suit!
Be Healthy. Be Balanced.