Last year I set a goal to run my first 10K, I chose the Manhattan Beach Hometown run in October and promptly forgot about this goal until ten weeks before the race date. I found a great training program on line http://www.runningabout.com/ and a great site that maps your runs accurately http://www.runningmaps.com/. I chose the "Beginner's How to Train for a 10K"program and I was off. I followed the program and about three weeks into the process, I started to enjoy running.
My neighborhood took on a whole different personality when I ran through it versus driving through with my radio blaring. It was charming and there was so much going on in East Manhattan Beach...Soccer matches, baseball games, churches, families playing and I even saw a man washing his own car! I loved the experience and have run two more 10K's and two 3K 's since I completed my first race.
There were cheerleaders, My friend Ginny came to race and made a sign, my friend Suzanne a fantastic runner was huge with praise and advice, my friend Kimm's daughter Kaylie made a sign and stood on her corner waiting fro me to pass by on race day. I felt great, heroic and athletic(not to shabby for a klutz). I did have naysayers...the neighbor who told me I was headed for injuries...I let her know since I had not run since I was 12 years old technically my knees were still in Junior High . The Finisher's t shirt is as valuable to me as my Cartier watch. The t-shirt means hard work, diligence lead to my accomplishment
It was a simple goal, but it was huge for me. So my advice is ...Take a look around and next time you think something looks interesting... set a goal to do it. It all starts with a goal....and to all the PE instructors who terrorized me in grade school and beyond for my "I'm sorry, but I do not run" policy" Sorry...
My neighborhood took on a whole different personality when I ran through it versus driving through with my radio blaring. It was charming and there was so much going on in East Manhattan Beach...Soccer matches, baseball games, churches, families playing and I even saw a man washing his own car! I loved the experience and have run two more 10K's and two 3K 's since I completed my first race.
There were cheerleaders, My friend Ginny came to race and made a sign, my friend Suzanne a fantastic runner was huge with praise and advice, my friend Kimm's daughter Kaylie made a sign and stood on her corner waiting fro me to pass by on race day. I felt great, heroic and athletic(not to shabby for a klutz). I did have naysayers...the neighbor who told me I was headed for injuries...I let her know since I had not run since I was 12 years old technically my knees were still in Junior High . The Finisher's t shirt is as valuable to me as my Cartier watch. The t-shirt means hard work, diligence lead to my accomplishment
It was a simple goal, but it was huge for me. So my advice is ...Take a look around and next time you think something looks interesting... set a goal to do it. It all starts with a goal....and to all the PE instructors who terrorized me in grade school and beyond for my "I'm sorry, but I do not run" policy" Sorry...
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