I hate(d) running

Running was not something that you did because you enjoyed it. It's something you did because the coach told you to run around the pitch or the field for conditioning. It's something you did in drills. It's something you did in a game. It wasn't something you ever did outside of practice. I mean, it's nothing I ever did outside of practice.

After high school, I dropped running like a bad habit. Well, I wanted to drop running like a bad habit, but band had different ideas. Here was another "coach" making me run. But my running was short lived. After my freshman year, it was done.

Now, ten years later, I've started running because I wanted to. Although, that's not entirely true. I started running to launch myself off a weight loss plateau. I needed to burn more calories and I didn't want to join a gym I was going to quit in 3 months. I found couch to 5K due to some wonderful people on WW, bought some shoes and started running.

It was a challenge. I wanted to prove to myself I could stick with a program. It didn't hurt that one of my friends started at the same time and we were supporting each other. I graduated the couch to 5K program in early July.

Now running is my time. You know that propel commercial, where the guy's running and all the worries from the day are shed off him during his run? Sometimes that's me. Let's face it, most of the time that's me.

I ran my first 5K on July 28th, 2007 and my next race is coming up Labor Day Weekend.

I no longer hate running.