How I Rocked the Sun Run With No Training

I didn’t. It was hard. I felt like I broke my ankle. I felt like I was in the worst athletic condition of my adult life.

I had three months and I slacked off. All of a sudden, I had one week left and decided to give it my all. I didn’t give it anything. One Vaisakhi parade, a swift 1K walk and a suggestion of 3-minute-jog-1-minute-walk intervals were all I really had in my training arsenal before the 10K. The intervals helped a great deal, but my ankles just weren’t up for the job. As I ignored the prompt of RunKeeper to begin the next 3-minute jog about halfway in, I told myself that I’d learned my lesson: this wasn’t something I could just do once in a while for fun. This was something that needed commitment.

I learned something else as well: I really enjoyed being active! I’d forgotten just how great it feels to move around, get the heart pumping and blood flowing. Working at a desk all day and well into the night for a long time had made me more and more sedentary, but now I can’t wait to take opportunities to move. A teammate suggested signing up for runs throughout the year to stay motivated, which sounds like a great idea. There’s a run/walk for a worthy cause nearly every month, which makes it a win-win. See you out there!