What a Difference a Year Makes.....

This time last year I was starting the taper for my first ever marathon.

On October 1st, 2012 I ran 3 miles on the treadmill with no walk breaks in a pace around 11:45 min/mile (which for me was/is a pretty decent pace). I was feeling nervous about the fact that my last long run that was supposed to be 24 miles ended up being only 16.4 because I just wasn't feeling it. On October 2nd, I wrote this blog post thanking my mom for being an awesome support.

It's no secret that this year has been tough for me. Today I realized just how tough it's been. Today, October 1st, 2013 I was excited because I completed Week 1 Day 1 of the Couch to 5k program. Yes. One year ago today I was 20 days away from completing my first marathon. Today, I was happy to run/walk VERY slowly for 25 minutes on the treadmill.

The good news
It's so easy for me to be negative. Of course it didn't take me long to figure out the above information...the fact that 1 year ago I was getting ready to complete 26.2 miles and today I "only" did 1.486 miles....in 25 minutes. However, I was able to find some positivity in today's run. So here it is.....even though I decided to start small; it felt easier than I thought it would. I feel like I'm starting from square one. I'm back to being only a few measly pounds from my highest weight and I am probably 10lbs heavier than when I've started running before. But, after completing today's run I don't really think I'm starting from the beginning.

I can remember back in 2007 when I first started to try running. I found the couch to 5k program and decided to try it to run a 5k in June. This was my first ever 5k and funny enough - is still currently my personal record for the distance (35:03). I ran the entire thing with no walk breaks and felt awesome. However, I remember the very first day of the couch to 5k program. On the first day you warm up for 5 minutes, run for 1 min and walk for 1.5 minutes. I remember thinking that 1 minute felt like an eternity. I remember feeling huge and feeling like it took SO much energy to move my body at a "run" for that long. I don't remember what I set the treadmill at, but I know it was no faster than where I had it set today. I also think I weighed 10-15lbs LESS than I do today.

But today it felt EASY. Every time the app told me to slow down to walk I kept thinking...that's it? I could keep going! When the workout was over I felt amazing. I felt like I could easily have kept going and actually wondered if perhaps I should have pushed my pace a bit. However, I'm not interested in pushing myself too hard. I'm still not in a stable place with my health and I don't want to stress my body too much. Anyway, I was happy to know that I haven't lost every ounce of fitness that I worked so hard to build over the last few years.

So there it is. I completed a marathon in October of last year and today I started the couch to 5k program to get me back into running. Let's just hope my health continues to get better so I can continue on this path.