Day 18: Walking

Only a small number of people know that I was training to run my first 5k. I actually started training last summer when I returned home from Uganda. I stopped when I came back to school in August, because I was uncomfortable running in the city.

In the spring when it was still snowy but nice, I would try to get out and run while returning to my original training program. I ran close to school because I was afraid to venture out more. It wasn't because I was scared of the city, it was more that I didn't want people seeing me run. I didn't want them to laugh or stare or wonder why I would be running since I'm not fit. I quickly became sick of running around the same 2 blocks.

Sometime in April I began running more, especially at night or during times of the week when I thought less people would be out. I stuck to streets that were less busy.

One afternoon I needed to go to Target which is about 9 block from my apartment. I also wanted to run, so I combined the two. I zigzagged down and across the blocks until I got to the halfway point of my workout, and I planned it so that I could arrive at Target during that moment. I was sweaty and hot, but I didn't care what people thought of me. I purchased a few items, put them in my backpack, and finished my workout by the time I got home.

I felt so great!! Running in downtown was the confidence boost I needed to be able to run at anytime of the day and in any location. I started to do more training. I became more confident. I began to push through my workouts and finish them feeling so good about myself.

By the time I started going to the chiropractor in June, I had hit the halfway mark of my training to run a 5k. But after going through my initial evaluation with my chiro, he told me to discontinue the running so that we could focus on making my back and neck better without the added pressure of running.

I was bummed. I had worked so hard to reach my goal.

It wasn't until last week that I asked my chiro when I could start running again. And that's when I told him about my goal to be able to run a 5k by the end of the summer. When he heard about this goal of mine, he saw how important it was for me to continue running even though he is not the biggest fan of running because of the pressure it puts on the bones (not just for me but for anyone).

On Thursday I had an appointment with my chiro. After he did some adjustments on my back and asked how i was feeling, he proceeded to say that he wants me to start walking for 10 blocks a day while focusing on my posture. He is going to ease me back into running. I was so happy that my chiropractor saw this goal of mine and is going to help me while working on getting my back and neck in order.

So Thursday night I took a walk. That's what I did for me. :)

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