Mission Impossible?

Operation force-myself-to-become-a-"runner" has officially begun.

Yep, me, who for the past 22 years of my existence have claimed to "absolutely hate running".

I'm trying it. I weighed all kinds of options in my head, and this seemed to be the best decision. Besides, I have surprised myself repeatedly over the past year in the exercise department, so who is to say I can't?

My top reasons for giving the running thing another try:

1. It will save me money on a gym membership. Since I won't start getting paid till the school year starts, and I just moved into my own apartment (moving is maj-oh! expensive, by the way), my budget is tight. I mean really tight. It is a good way to save the $40 dollars extra that a gym membership would add to my monthly bill. Honestly, this is my main reason. Once that pay check starts rolling in, I might most definitely will add it back in.

2. I have always wanted to, but never had the confidence. I have always admired runners: their stamina, will power, legs. However, I have always been self-conscious trying it out myself. I am not what I would call athletic. I was always a competitive dancer, but anything not choreographed to music sent shivers of uneasiness through my spine. Add the fact that the last running experience I had was thanks to an over-critical, personal training boyfriend, and you have the perfect recipe for "too scared to embarrass myself" syndrome. 

But, I'm in a new city, where no one knows me. I don't have that boyfriends' voice in the back of my mind anymore (thank goodness, right!?). What the heck. Let me put myself out there, and see how it goes. 

3. It's a good way to check out the neighborhood. Alright, this one might be a stretch, but I hate even numbers, so I wanted to get it up to 3.


So, this morning, I set my alarm early, and set out for my first try at this thing. I am the kind of person that I need to just force myself to do it for a week or so, and it will become habit, part of my routine. 

I did about 2 miles, and I would say I ran about half of the time and walked the other. Honestly, this is better than I expected, and a pleasant surprise. My plan is to do this same path until I can run the whole thing, and then add on more distance. I am committing myself to doing it daily for at least the next 10 days. And then, I will reconsider if I feel like I need to splurge on the gym membership. So far, so good.

Here's to a wild leap outside my comfort zone- no quitting!
~ Rach