From Couch Potato to 5k in 10 Weeks…Can I Do It?

Hey Divas! I’m on a mission to run a 5k for Alzheimer’s Awareness in October, the problem is I’m not a runner. I don’t like to run and it causes me anxiety to just think about it. However, my sister (Staci) has inspired me to do this. She started training a few months ago and this past weekend ran her first 10k and I’m so proud of her. Staci told me today “as much as I hate running, it proved that I can overcome obstacles in our lives that seem to keep us down. If I can do this, anyone can too.” And she’s right!

Here are my goals for wanting to do this:

1. Accomplishing something that’s bigger than me. Running a 5k race is huge to me.
2. Lose weight. Over the past 5 years I’ve put on so much weight that I’m ashamed of myself. I’m done…it’s coming off!
3. Become healthy again. I hate that I’m always out of breath. I hate that I’m always tired. I hate that my ankles swell. (yes, hate is a strong word, but it’s appropriate here because getting to the point of hating something is getting me to the point that I want to change).
4. Look good again. There was a time that I looked good. Of course my husband and kids will tell you that I’m beautiful…but I won’t tell you that I’m beautiful because I don’t feel that way. I want to feel beautiful again! I want to wear that cute little black dress and feel sexy. Yep, I said it…I want to feel sexy!
5. I want my kids to be proud of me and see that anything can be accomplished with the right mindset and determination.
6. I’ll be in Florida in July for my daughter’s nursing pinning ceremony and I’d like to go to the beach in a bathing suit. I didn’t say a bikini, but not an old ladies bathing suit either.
7. Honor my mom in running my first 5k for the Alzheimer’s Association in Nashville.

Wow, I wasn’t planning on getting “real” in this post, but if I’m truly going to do this, I need to be transparent. I hope that my journey will encourage you to tackle the obstacle in your life that is preventing you from moving forward with greatness. We were created by Excellence for excellence. It’s time that we stood up and accepted that challenge! Are you with me?

Over the next 10 weeks, I will be following a training program called From Couch Potato to 5k. I’ve got the first 5 weeks planned out on my whiteboard to keep me in check. It is also on my Google Calendar (which is synced to my phone) and on my written calendar. This way, I have no excuse to “forget”!

On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I will be following the training program. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, I will be following an upper & lower body circuit, plus working out with my Personal Trainer, Roshawn Pryor. I plan to journal my progress and hope that you will hold me accountable to make it to the end. My first day of training will be tomorrow, April 29th.

I’m ready to do this!