Running sucks.

I cleared myself to run again a few weeks ago, just before my week long trip to Kentucky. I figured I'd be able to find time to run there, and from my last trip, I remembered "there seemed to be a prettyish kind of a little wilderness" around the campus.

I did the 1.5 miles just I wrote about around the campus because I couldn't figure out how to get down to the park. So later that week, the weather was way too perfect to not take advantage of it. Out I go for my run. The trees are beautiful and the sky is clear. But there are hills.

I'm sorry, but I'm from Louisiana and if anyone has ever driven through this state, you'll know that we are either at sea level and mostly below sea level. My legs tremble at the thought of running uphill.

So I followed the path where it was level and that was pleasant enough. I took the hill for a few seconds and I totally wimped out and turned around. I felt so many pairs of eyes judging me as I ran back in the other direction. I wanted to just say, "C'mon, look at my pencil legs! There's no way I'm going to make it up there."

The next day turned out to be equally the perfect spring time weather. I work in an office most days, so any chance I can to actually feel the sun on my skin, I will take it! This time, instead of just turning back around when I faced the hill, I walked. Yeah, you heard me. I walked, and there is nothing wrong with walking. Paging Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Back me up, brother: 

Okay, so okay I didn't walk to help with my brain function and memory. I was only walking because, like I said, there is no way I can run up that hill. But the point is, if I didn't just take it easy on myself and walk, I would've missed the best part of the park - the view from the top.

Cherokee Park in Louisville is an incredibly beautiful place to run [or walk or lay around], and if I didn't move my flat ass to the top of the hill, I would've missed out on a spectacular view. As with those times in life when we would prefer to just revert back to what's comfortable rather than push through the difficulties, imagine what we might miss out on? The amazing thing about our bodies is that we are adaptable and capable of growth. Just a few months ago, 3 miles was nothing. Today, 3 miles sucks. In a few more weeks 3, or even 4, miles will be a good run again.

Last month, I was invited to attend the Team in Training spaghetti dinner the night before the Rock N Roll Marathon that my volunteer, Allie, ran. John "the Penguin" Bingham [www.waddle-on.com] spoke to the hundreds of people who spent months not only preparing for the race but also raising thousands of dollars for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The Penguin is all about completing what you've set out for yourself regardless of how long it takes you to get there.

“Frustration is the first step towards improvement. I have no incentive to improve if I’m content with what I can do and if I’m completely satisfied with my pace, distance and form as a runner. It’s only when I face frustration and use it to fuel my dedication that I feel myself moving forwards.” - the penguin

So I'm frustrated that I can't run uphill or faster or longer. But, God willing, I will keep on keepin' on. [Because there is free food and drinks across that finish line.]

Now, it's time for a random cute photo:

You don't need teeth to enjoy a beer.

1.5 miles, baby.

Yes, friends. I have reached the 1.5 mile-milestone.

Back in the day, this would have been a feat. One day in high school, I went to the park because I decided I would be a runner. It seemed easy enough. I ran all the time. I ran out of class to get to the front of the lunch line. I chased the bus when I was late getting to my stop. This could totally be my sport.

One day I went to the park and ran. I didn't even make it to the .25 mile marker.

To make my long running history short, let's just say I'm a slow runner. Mayhaps you'd call me a jogger.

Two weeks ago I was talking about running with two of my Sunday school students who are very fast cross country runners. I told them that I did a half marathon back in December.

Student: What was your time?

Kathy: Um... I think it was 2:22:something.

Student: You know people can run full marathons under that time.

Kathy: [crying internal tears of shame]

 It's three months after the longest run I've ever accomplished and I'm starting from scratch again. As much as I'd like to make myself sound like this incredible endurance runner, 1.5 miles was hard today. But I did it. And I will do it again some time this week... maybe.

Now that it's starting to warm up outside, and I can be motivated to shave my legs again, it's time to gear up for 5k season. For those of you who are doing the same, here are some online tools that I've enjoyed using.

I know you can easily just keep track of your progress on your own calendar, but for some reason I like to use Active Trainer to log all of my workouts. You can log everything from exercise biking to hiking. It's great to be able to see how much you can accomplish over a month's period of time. But really, I like it because it automatically calculates my pace if I just put in my time and distance. Yes, I'm that bad at math. I swear I don't know how I look so Asian.

Cool Running has a Couch to 5k training plan that just takes 2 months to get you to being a regular 5k runner. Also, I use it to diagnose all my aches and pain when Webmd is too vague.

My first 5k that I hope to run is the Mississippi River Bridge Run on April 10th. That was my first 5k ever that I ran last year, and it's tough because it's uphill for the first half. But the scenery and the site of hundreds of people running up the on-ramp was unforgettable.

Sorry, this is all I have to offer. I lost the files of my mental pictures.

On a completely unrelated topic... Today, my mother asked me to show her how to get on to Faceplace. If case you didn't already know, my mom is a fob.