Did I just actually enjoy that?!

After some serious facebooking last night, a group of friends and I have decided to challenge ourselves and run a 5k at the end of the summer. I know that is only 3.something miles, and that I walk more than that during one shift at work, but still...  I'm not a runner. I've never been a runner. Runners actually confuse me.

But secretly, I've always wanted to be one.

I've been reading up on the Couch to 5k training program, and it doesn't seem that bad!  And now that we are actually looking for a 5k and some good friends are doing the program too, I decided to go for it.  Today's run was a 5 min warm up then alternating 60sec run with 90 sec walk for 20 min, then a 5 min cool down.

Holy crap!  I haven't sweat that much since I was still dancing!  I kept an even paced breath so as not to fall over, fly off the treadmill and lay on the floor gasping for oxygen. One thing keeping me going was the thought that while they weren't with me, a bunch of my friends are doing the exact same thing I am!

At about min 19, it was almost time to switch back to running, and I noticed I was feeling woozy. I had to hold on to the handrails because I seriously thought I was going to fall. 20 minutes hit and it was time to run again. I told myself I was not giving up and starting running. The dizziness faded fast and i found myself SMILING!!  WTF?!  I got this burst of endorphins and breezed through the last 5 minutes! Was that the famed Runner's High?  Not ever having one, I don't know. But since I was not really out of breath or even panting, I can only assume it wasn't oxygen deprivation...

My legs were a little wobbly on the walk home from the gym, but it wasn't that bad.  I had no problem resuming my normal respiration rate and my heart didn't feel like it was on it's last legs.

Here's the funny part: not only did I want to do more than 30 minutes, but I'm actually looking forward to going back on Saturday for Round 2!

I have no idea who this runner inside me is, but I'm pretty glad she's decided to join the party!