Couch to 5K to Sea Wheeze Training Wrap Up

My Sea Wheeze Race Day outfit

My training for the Sea Wheeze is at an end. If someone told me last December that I'd run a half marathon in 2012 I would have told them they're crazy. I hated running in gym class as a kid. Hated it. Now I'm less than a week away from my first half and am really excited for it. Taking up running has to be one of the more interesting self-discovery journeys I have been on in my adult life. I learned several things:

• Achieving a large, very intimidating physical goal is possible if you break it into tiny, easily achievable steps - it all started with just 60 seconds of running. The Couch to 5K training plan is a miracle worker as far as I'm concerned. It took an overweight woman - I believe the the race term is an 'Athena'  ('plodder' is probably more accurate in my case) - in her late 40s and transformed her from a person who hated running into one who really likes it now and is signed up for two half marathons (the Disney World Half is next).
• Starting out slowly is the key - follow the plans and build the distance accordingly.  It's probably worse since I'm overweight/older but it took a long while to get my joints/bones used to the stresses of running. It wasn't until about five months in that my various joints/muscles didn't feel sore after I was done. Also, as an engineer, I totally loved methodically checking off the boxes after each workout.
• Running through pain is not a good idea. It only prolongs the recovery.
• To make yourself stick with running, because you will need that in the in the beginning (at least I did), sign up for a race several months in advance. Post it on Facebook and if you have a blog, post it there. ;-) The thought of having to publicly admit you gave up will keep you going. For further motivation, make it a destination race so you really have to commit to going. (This is a bit tongue-in-cheek but it worked for me.)

I also want to thank several people who encouraged me to take this journey. The first is my husband since he blazed the way. He was diagnosed with Type II diabetes a couple of years ago and he subsequently dropped 85 lbs and took up running. He was never a runner, either. He is the one who told me to sign up for the Sea Wheeze and said I could do it when I told him he was nuts. My sister took up running a few years ago and is a veteran runner of two marathons and nearly a dozen half marathons. She is running the Sea Wheeze, too, in the two-hour corral. My brother recently finished his first Half Ironman so keeping up with my siblings was a further motivation. I also had a lot of encouragement from people I've met on-line through a mutual interest lululemon, two of whom also convinced me to sign up for the Sea Wheeze. One I've met in person, Rose, and the other I haven't met yet - Nicole. I've also gotten some good advice from a couple of veteran distance runners, Susan and Ayesha. I also wanted to thank the people who've suggested various things on this blog when I've had issues.

Some stats:

• Miles run in training: ~ 300 (I ran for time in the beginning so had to estimate it but I've run 266.51 since I started tracking them in Map My Run)
• Pound Lost: 13
• Inches on the hips lost: ~2"
• $ spent on new equipment for running: ~$500 (includes sneakers, sunglasses, race belt, etc.)
• Favorite lulu tops for running: Swiftly tanks, SS, and LS

I put a photo of my race outfit so if you spot me at the Sea Wheeze, come up and say hi. I'll be in the back.  ;-)