Couch to 5K - The First Week

The thoughts continue to go through my head that despite eating well, avoiding that glass of wine after putting the kids to bed and taking the stairs instead of the elevator, I still somehow have to fit in routine exercise. The excuse of having a newborn is now a year behind me and my former toned abs have gone a bit soft. 

I wish I were the kind of girl to have a natural motivation and love for exercise. Admittedly, I like the energy it gives me and the stress relief but it is always the first thing I drop when things get busy, which seems to be always. It also is the easiest thing to make an excuse about and sadly, more people seem to concur with my excuses than not, only perpetuating my "push off to another day" routine. 

This all came to a halt two weeks ago when I read in the Patch about the offered through the . Before I could change my mind I signed up and volunteered to write this blog because truth be told, accountability is my motivator and something I cannot escape. NK5K, here I come!

Last Saturday was the first class. I wasn't quite sure what to expect but was pleased to see a group of people of various fitness levels anxious to take on the same adventure.  I can currently run two miles but can't seem to break to three without being really tired and sore the next day. I have eightweeks to get there. Our instructor, Terri, was kind and informative.

The Saturday morning schedule was also fantastic for starting the day off on a good foot, literally. The workout was appropriate for a step off the couch and consisted mostly of short intervals of running mixed with walking recoveries. By the end of the class, I realized I can do this! Better yet, I had a good workout and met some nice new people.  

Then came the homework. Needless to say, Rome wasn't built in a day and neither is my transformation. I traveled with work for a week of endless meetings and by the end of each day, the comfort of down time won out over a trip to the gym. Here's to accountability! Wish me luck.