My Couch to 5K Journey by KCarver

Hi. I'm Kim Carver. I'm not necessarily fat - but I ain't skinny neither. Most of my life I was petite, small framed, and average. I was never athletic; I never played any sports. My brothers were the only ones who played sports. And not "girly" sports" like soccer, as my dad would say. Just good ole fashioned baseball, football and basketball. God forbid, any of us girls would participate in a sport!

First of all, there were no "girl sports" in my day. Second, no one would be there to watch or cheer us on. In my day, girls only took gymnastics or dance, neither of which my family could afford. My parents barely went to my brothers games - it was the era when you rode your bike to the baseball diamond and back home again. Games and practices both. Parents weren't INVOLVED. If you wanted to do something, then you had to initiate it. Out of 4 girls and 2 boys in my family - only the boys played sports. Two of my sisters were cheerleaders. They learned all their cartwheels and such out on the front lawn with neighbors. Not me.

It's not that I didn't WANT to be athletic. I really did. I just wasn't coordinated. At all. I did, however, have an interest in being fit. Vanity, of course. Back in the day, I had the Jane Fonda Workout Book and CD tape, to boot. I joined Silhouette (now Fit Club) and even had a leotard and leg warmers. I breezed in. I breezed out. I did not do any aerobics. I tried; however, I was always going one way while the rest of the class went the other (embarrassing!) I was intimidated. I would do the machines-whatever they were at the time, equivalent to about 15-20 minutes tops! Never broke a sweat. Felt good about "getting in shape". Stayed at about 115lbs.

Had two more children - stayed relatively fit - worked out some - never committed to routine or life style change. NEVER changed my diet. The more I worked out - the more I figured I could eat. So, naturally, I gained weight. But here's the deal. I was like the opposite of an anorexic girl. They look in the mirror and see a distorted image of themselves and say "OMG, I am so FAT!" I looked in the mirror and said "OMG, I look GREAT!" In reality, I was getting bigger and more out of shape than ever!!! Denial, denial, denial.

There is one sport that has always piqued my interest - although my dad would never call it a "sport". Running. I wanted to be a runner. I wanted to wear the shoes and get a "runners high". It is a sport that "they say" anyone can do. This year I decided I was really going to do it. I was challenging myself. Not only to exercise - but to eat right. And run.

I have watched Shane and Tammy over the last few years, along with some other friends, transform themselves through running. They seem happy. They are motivated. They have set goals and you can tell that they feel good when they achieve those goals. They are disciplined - which is a huge factor in any goal setting. I have to say I am impressed. More than that - they make me want to be a runner. They make me believe that I CAN be a runner. They inspire me and give me the incentive to "go for it!"

I have set several goals for myself in the next 90 days, one of which is running a 5K. Or at least being physically able to run a 5K. I downloaded the FREE Couch to 5K app and have been faithful to do it, even the day my shin hurt like crazy. I am doing some strength training and exercises that my physical therapist gave me to strengthen my back. I really WANT this and am willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen.

So, I said all that to say this. I am doing the Couch to 5K and will be "blogging". I am not a great writer - but I am committed. I know that once I "put it out there" I am even more apt to accomplish my goals. I now have accountability. Currently, I am on week 2, day 2, so I will post again and give a synopsis of my first 2 weeks. Today, I just wanted to tell you a little about myself and why I want to be a runner. From here on out I will post regularly to let you know how I'm doing. Why don't you join me? It will be FUN!!!!