I hate running.

I really do. I've always hated it, ever since high school field hockey and those tortuous runs we had to do during practice. I'm not good at it. I'm super slow and my endurance always just sucked.

So I did what any sane person who hates running does--I decided to run a 10k. Makes total sense, right?!

See, at work we're participating in a health challenge. Individuals earn points for completing weekly exercise/food/health-related challenges that contribute to your team's points. At the end of 12 weeks, the top team earns $500 per member, and teams 2-5 get $100 per member.

My team is currently in 2nd place. If not for the points and the potential to win some money, I would almost definitely be sitting on my butt on the couch instead out out exercising. Yeah, sure, the real prize is a healthier lifestyle, blah blah blah. But I want to win some money, darn it! This challenge has really lit a fire under my butt to get me working out again. And that 10k was worth the max 60 points, so that's why I chose it (the 5k was 'only' worth 55 points...I went all out for those extra 5 points).

Last week I started the couch to 5k program and I as much as I hate running, I really am excited to get back in shape and maybe get back some of the muscle tone I lost along with the baby weight after I had Lorelai.



I got into pretty good shape the summer before I got pregnant with Lorelai with the anticipation of wanting to be really healthy and in shape for pregnancy, and I walked, swam, did Zumba and lots of yoga while I was pregnant with her. Unfortunately, I haven't done much exercising aside from Zumba since I had her. I thought I had lost all of the endurance I had built up since I haven't run in a couple of years (I'm not really counting the week I went out running with Lorelai in the jogging stroller when she was a month old), but maybe not!

I think starting off slowly and easing into it is a really good way to go. It seems crazy that I'll go from running 60 seconds at a time to running a 5k without stopping in just a couple of months. The 10k is in October, so I'm thinking if I can run a 5k in 2 months, I will hopefully be able to run a 10k in 4 months. Even if I can't run the whole way, my only real goal is to finish and not come in last place (and maybe not hate running so much by then).

Wish me luck!