{My First...}

...and possibly my last 'training' session...

Let me explain.

There are many factors leading up to my desire to be more fit.

• The fact that many of my blogging friends are posting about recent 5K runs or some kind of running achievement (P.S. Congratulations to you all!)
  
• The fact that my dear friend inspired me by one of her very recent posts with a letter from her body :)
• The fact that my administrative assistant (and we've become good friends as well) and her husband are running a 5K this weekend together in honor of a great community member who passed away in a tragic Avalanche/Snowmobile accident and I'm jealous that she's in shape to do it
  
• The fact that I can see the nurse writing down my weight every time I go to donate plasma and it's on a steady rise
• The fact that my little brother is coming home from his mission in less than two months, and I'd like to look nice for a hopeful family picture to take place around that time (did that make any sense???)
  
• The fact that my current weight is just one pound less than what I weighed when I was full-term with Tanner
  
• The fact that my baby is a year and a half old, and I have lost and put back on the weight
  
• The fact that my pants are extremely tight...to the point that I dread getting dressed each morning
• The fact that I'm NOT pregnant, so I have NO excuse to eat the way I am
• The fact that my body deserves to be taken care of, just like the laundry, the dishes, my kids or my husband (and not in that order, but sometimes that IS the order...don't judge me!)

Today I had this fabulous idea to go swimming for Family Home Evening. While looking up local pools and prices and times, well, one thing led to another, and before we knew it, we were looking up local parks with walking paths and their distances. That led to finding a routine for learning to run. Seriously. I HATE running. I dislike walking, if I can help it! Since my good ole' workout swim suits no longer fit, I figured I could squeeze into a pair of Ry's Rick College shorts and burn some calories that way. I found a fun little routine, that looked like I could maybe fall into a sensible pattern of getting some MUCH NEEDED exercise.

So, all of you who have inspired me...let it be known that my thighs are burning, much like a Chicken's, my calves are on fire, and it took a full hour for my face to turn from purple to a relatively normal color. My shoulders and neck are stiff, and I wasn't even pushing the stroller...I handed it off to Ryan as soon as my 'brisk 5 minute warm-up walk' was complete.

What routine am I doing??? Glad you should ask. The site is HERE. I am supposed to start out with that warm-up walk, then alternate 60 seconds jogging with 90 seconds walking, for 20 minutes. TWENTY WHOLE MINUTES!!! My body started to protest after about 5. No joke.

Well, Ryan and the kids were troopers, and might I say I made it the entire 20 minutes, and then had to walk for another 30 so my legs wouldn't cramp up and cripple me. This is sure going to be an adventure!

Well, Happy 200th post to ME! And Happy Exercising as well...if any of you have ANY suggestions or would like to take a look at that site (all you runners) and tell me if it's legitimate, if I'm in for it or if you have a better idea (remember I'm going from couch to hopefully enjoying some physical exercise), PLEASE leave me a comment or email me or call me and let me know!!!

I used to get painful shinsplints in high school, the one semester I ran track, so I'm praying I DO NOT get them...any suggestions in THAT department???