I Can’t Run, Are You Kidding Me?
That’s exactly what I used to say. It all started while I was in chiropractic school. I took my first step towards fitness by getting on an exercise bike. 5 minutes was all that I could do and my knees were killing me. It was a start towards a new me and a new lifestyle.
Slowly I started to last for 10 minutes, then 30 minutes and then I could even start walking on the treadmill. Next came learning how to use the weight machines and exercise with a ball for my core. Man, was I sore after trying that for the first time. Soon I was noticing a big difference in my body, my weight and my fitness. I could do more and still feel great!
Later that year, I hear an announcement for a 20 mile fundraising event for suicide prevention. I decided that I could walk 20 miles and dedicated myself to the training schedule. That’s when I discovered the Prairie Path and Western Trail system in DuPage county and realized how relaxing walking could really be on a Saturday morning. Before I knew it, I completed the 20 mile event in 4 hrs and 40 minutes and also raised $1000 for charity.
After walking/jogging 20 miles, I could do anything. Because of time, I started doing a lot of interval training on the treadmill (run/walk) and weight lifting. In 2009, I joined the Walk 2 Run program at Dick Pond Athletics in Schaumburg and ran 3.1 miles. This summer, I’m stepping up my program and running 4-6 miles 3x/wk with an eye on registering for a few 5k races.
Remember, this all started with the phrase, “I can’t run, are you kidding me?” If I can do it, you can too!