Our owner, Stacie McMillan, started a healthy living program at the beginning of the year.  She has given us weekly healthy lifestyle challenges and discussed the benefits to adopting healthy habits into our lives.

Since we are sponsoring the Inspiring Hope Run in Mukilteo again this year in May, Stacie passed out 12 week  5k and 10k run training programs last week.

I personally have wanted to get back into running, (its been about a year and a half since I was regularly running), so I eagerly took the 10k run training guide and decided this was the time.

I will be honest, that same eagerness was not present the next day when it was time for my first run.  It was 5 min intervals of walking and running for only 30 minutes.  To help with the motivation, I decided to take my puppy with me.  That was a mistake as even though she is pretty good with walking (and even on short jogs) on a leash with someone, she could not handle the change in pace and was pulling me all over the place (She is a beautiful 62lb. black lab) causing my upper hip on one side to really hurt.  I made it home and called a trainer friend for stretching recommendations.

The next days were every other day cross training (rode stationary bike at the gym) and walk/run intervals.  I was sore, but kept going as I had already told everyone at work and my two sons my plan to run the 10k.  I couldn’t quit something I had barely started just because I was sore.  Accountability is key when starting a new exercise plan.  Building new habits is hard, but having support and encouragement makes it easier.

After the first week of training, I feel mostly positive.  I get irritated with the fact that I am unable to perform at the same level as I did before.  Stacie reminded me this week to ‘focus on where you are now, don’t worry about fitness levels in the past or future’ which I keep repeating to myself when my runkeeper app goes over my average pace at the end of each run.

Even though, I have recently not been exercising regularly, am not one who loves to exercise and am a single, working mom of two boys, I am going to do this.  I know I am not ever going to be the fastest nor will I ever be able to take every stride with ease, but I will keep putting one foot ahead of the other and run.

If you want to train along with me, please email me at [email protected] and I will send you the entire 12 week training plan for either the 5k or 10k.  I will keep posting weekly about my training along with the progression of our Healthy Living Program.