A New Leaf?

So it's been a while since I blogged about my fitness goals for this year. It's been a tough road. When I injured my back I had to basically lay around for close to three weeks and I gained back all of the weight that I had lost since January and it brought along a few friends, too. I finally decided to just get back on the horse, and I started the Couch to 5K program, despite not being able to walk comfortably. I figured worst case scenario, I'd feel like crud, which I already did. I also started the Kristi Approved Live the Life program... well at least I downloaded the free trial. I figured having a more structured eating plan wouldn't hurt, at least while I lost back all the weight I've gained since Christmas.

It's been a REALLY tough uphill battle, but I think I reached a turning point today. I was able to successfully complete Week 5 Day 2 of the C25K program, which means that I am halfway to running 5K in 30 minutes. Today I broke my own personal record (which was set when I was in 3rd grade) for most ammount of time run in a single stretch. I ran 8 minutes without stopping.

Granted I was running kind of slow, but I didn't stop.

This might not seem like a big deal, but to me it is a huge deal. I  have struggled with my weight and fitness literally my whole life.

I always regretted not being able to run and play with the other kids on the playground and I've felt

trapped in a fat suit

since I was in kindergarten. Few people know this about me, but my dream when I was a kid was to be a dancer. I asked repeatedly for dance lessons  when I was a kid, and was repeatedly told

it wouldn't be a good idea

because I couldn't keep up, and I would just embarrass myself dancing around in a skin-tight leotard. I guess I just never believed that I could keep up after that, so after a while I stopped trying. The faProxy-Connection: keep-alive
Cache-Control: max-age=0

est I've ever run the mile in my life was today at 14m58s. My previous record was 15m23s set in PE in 4th grade. I soon after figured out how to cheat when running the mile in PE and

never actually have run a mile since.

So what now? I guess the sky's the limit.

UPDATE: Despite all odds, I completed W5D3 of the running schedule, which required that I shatter all previously held running records and crank out 20 minutes of non-stop jogging. I didn't really think I could do it, so I set a goal to meet halfway in the middle of at 14 minutes. When I got to 14 minutes, I figured I'd shoot for 16, and by the time I got that far I was kind of on a natural high and I pushed myself all the way to 20. That's right. I ran 1.5 miles in 20 minutes without stopping. For those of you counting, that's a 13 minute mile. Presidential Fitness Award? No. Personal best? Yes.