I finished the Couch to 5K program!

Yay! I've still got more than a week until my actual race, but yesterday I completed my last run in the "official" training program. I'm so happy that I made it all the way through, but still a little nervous about the actual race. For one thing, it's going to be very different to run with a big group of people. I hope I don't get jostled around too much or pushed to a pace I'm not comfortable with. Another thing is just that I haven't actually run the full 5K distance yet. From what I can estimate (since I run in the streets and not on a track), I've been running just under an 12-minute mile, meaning that my most recent 30-minute runs have only taken me about 2.5 miles or so. I'm going to keep running this next week, but the first time I attempt the 5K distance may be race day.

Adam took the dog on a walk yesterday while I was running and met up with me to run the last 7-8 minutes with me. As we were cooling down and walking the rest of the way back home, we started talking about the progress I've made, and I realized that right now I'm probably in the best shape I've ever been in. Nine weeks is definitely the longest I've ever maintained a serious exercise routine. So I may not be the thinnest I've ever been, but I'm in better shape. I can't think of any other time in my life when I could have finished a 30-minute run. But I have some mixed feelings about that. One the one hand, I'm proud of myself for the improvements I've made and the accomplishments I've acheived. On the other hand, it's kind of sad that THIS is my high point. I'm still overweight and pretty slow. I'm not in GOOD shape. My personal best is a pretty low bar.

I AM confident that I can and will get in good shape, and that I'm moving in the right direction. I'm doing my best to let go of the past. There is absolutely NOTHING I can do to change what I did or who I was in the past. I can only make changes and live the way I want to NOW. And to be honest, I wouldn't REALLY want to change anything in my past. It has made me who I am now, and given me the perspective to appreciate where I am now. Sometimes it's just hard to remember that.

Other than running, I've been spending A LOT of time this week watching Wimbledon. Since the Australian Open this year, I have been such a tennis fan. The only thing that would make it better would be some glue, because glueing scrapbook pages together is perfect for watching tennis, since I only have to pay half-attention to both. Since Monday, I've watched almost 9 hours of coverage everyday because I just leave it on in the background. (Obviously yes, I've got it on right now. Go, Venus!) I've got at least 10 pages that need to be glued, and this is the last one I've got saved on my computer.


I let the patterned paper do pretty much all the work on this page. Just a title, some journaling and 2 little punched stars. I think it works though.