My first run ever!!!
I originally started running at my in-laws house on their new treadmill. I was doing a program where you run 2 minutes/walk 2 minutes. This also alternated between hills and no hills. I would do this for 20 minutes, twice a week. Slowly I realized that at the end I am not wiped out and maybe could do another minute at 5mph flat. Eventually, I increased that.
Well, at 1 point we decided to join the YMCA and the treadmill there was better and I started doing the hill workout.
Lee and Susan from Stepping Stone talked me into doing the Quantum Feet Stepping Stone Day school run. Good cause. Good people. Can I do it?
I was freaking out. Susan said that if I run 2 miles on the treadmill then I can do a 5k on the street. I am thinking at this point that she is crazy. Also, at this point, Joe from the YMCA was telling me how excited he was for doing the JP Morgan Corporate Chalenge. OK I said. Quantum Feet here I come. Man, I was nervous.
I started the run and thought I can do this. Later I realized we were going a little down hill. The first big hill came and I said, "HA!", I am used to hills so I took it. On our way back, I thought I was going to die. At one point, this guy, Raul, was runing next to me and we agreed to pace each other. I was dying toward the end and he came screaming at me that I can do this and during this hill he kept saying, "look up!".
I DID IT!
At the end of the race, Raul asked me when my next race is and I remember replying to him, "BULLSHIT! - I am done!". Well many runs later....
Of course, later I found out that Susan's son, 11, beat me and then went to play soccer at practice for an hour. Me? I felt ALIVE! I thought I can do anything. The next day still feeling alive but my calves were sore for a week.