Exercise is HARD!

I wish it was enough to just eat the right way and be healthy. It's not. :) I have enjoyed increasing my steps each day and walking. I sometimes enjoy the strength training I'm doing. I DO NOT enjoy the running I have to do for the Couch to 5K program I'm a part of. Thank goodness my sister and my mom are doing this with me. Misery loves company, right? Maybe this isn't a good morning for me to blog about this. I had a really hard time completing my program this morning. I thought I was going to die. The good news is, I didn't. I finished it without stopping and was able to get off the treadmill, walk to my car, and drive home. I survived to tell the tale. :) I have no idea what made me decide to try a 5K. A 5K is 3.1 miles, and by the end of the 9 week Couch to 5K program, I should be able to run continuously for 30 minutes. I can't imagine that's going to happen, but that's what they tell me. There are a lot of couch to 5K programs out there, and they are all very similar. If you have an iphone or ipod touch, you can get a Couch to 5K app on your device. I only have an ipod nano, so I downloaded a podcast that I put on my ipod. I'll share that link if you all are interested. I've heard of a 5K for women only on Mother's Day. That is what I'm shooting for. I want to run an entire 5K on Mother's Day as a present to myself. Today was my second day in week 3 of the program. I had a brisk 5 minute warm-up walk, 90 seconds of running, 90 seconds of walking, 3 minutes of running, 3 minutes of walking, and then I had to repeate the 90-90-3-3 cycle once more before doing my 5 minute cool-down walk. It was HARD!!!!! Running for 3 minutes is HARD!!!!! I'm sure to some of you, it's a walk in the park. To me, it might as well be a marathon...okay, maybe a half marathon! :) During my second 90 second run, I kept thinking how I was going to have to tell my hubby, my mom, my sister, and my friends how I couldn't do it today. I thought I would just walk more quickly during my last 3 minute run. Then I thought how disappointed I would be in myself, and I did this same thing on Sunday. If I could do it then, I could do it now. Mind you, I was not running fast...to anyone with longer legs, my "run" might have been just a power walk, but I was moving. I did it today, and I'll do it again Friday. I may not like it, but I can do it!