My story starts out with an unhappy, tired and sick me at the end of a very hectic freshman year. I went home for the summer intending to sleep late every day and recuperate. I stopped eating dorm room staples like Nutella and instant mac and cheese. I started sleeping and eating well. I had everything I needed to be relaxed and happy.
My problem was that, despite eating well and sleeping in, I still did not have energy to do anything productive. I would wake up late and within four or five hours I would be ready to go back to sleep. I felt like my days were extremely short. I never had enough energy to get out and enjoy my summer with my friends. This was when my best friend recommended that I start exercising. Specifically, she told me that I needed to download this new app she had found called “Get Running: Couch 2 5k”. I am not proud of the fact that I laughed at the idea.
Just so you understand, I hate exercise. When asked if I play a sport, I jokingly respond that I am allergic to sweat. I always thought that people who told me about how much they loved running were lying. As you can probably assume from this, I had a rough start with this app because of the aversion to exercise that I have cultivated all of my life. I started running for a week…and then took a three-week break.
However, the app is extremely effective in that it guides you through a tri-weekly running routine that builds up your endurance until you are able to run a 5k. The app’s programmed voice is a very encouraging woman with a British accent. She lets you know when to start and stop running and how much time you have left. The app started me off running for a minute and then walking for one and a half minutes.
I asked my friend to join me after a few days. After a few weeks, I stopped needing to put as much work into convincing myself to run. I no longer dreaded the thirty minutes I would spend exercising. I was more relaxed and I did not feel tired after only a few hours of being awake.
To make our runs more interesting, my friend and I found unique trails near our houses. My favorite was a trail that followed the path an old railroad had taken. The local community had made intricate little gnome homes and placed them and some garden gnomes along the trail. It was a welcome distraction during particularly difficult stretches of running to point them out and appreciate how creative the makers had been.
Coming back to school, I recognized the importance of continuing with my routine. I used all of my will power to ensure that I ran during the first weeks of classes. My best friend continued running as well. We check up on each other and make sure that we stay on track. Running is now the most important part of keeping myself sane as I battle with a growing CMU workload.
I also plan on running a themed 5k here in Pittsburgh soon. I am choosing between:
The Zombie Mud Run (an obstacle oriented run)
The Brocathalon (a sightseeing and activity driven run)
and The Uphill 5k (a 5k about making healthy choices)
Maybe I’ll see you there!
Photo credit:
https://weheartit.com/search?u…✓&ac=0&query=healthy%20eating&page=2&before=76980594