Running . . .

I have always said I am not a runner.

Runners are svelte, gazelle-creatures, with long slender legs and expensive performance-gear. I would often see them, especially as Spring turns to Summer, out with ear buds in ears and stylishly matched sports bras and tight little running shorts, tied together with their $200 running shoes. Ponytails bouncing back and forth, I would watch them with outward scorn, but inwardly I was terribly envious.

I have never seen myself as very physically capable; a heart condition in my youth stopped me from excelling at any sports (which made me hate them), and I have come to believe myself weak and incapable of change.

Then, last week, I started running.

My running program:
Week 1: Run 2 minutes, walk 4 minutes. Repeat for a total of 5 times.
Week 2: Run 3 minutes, walk 3 minutes. Repeat for a total of 5 times.
Week 3: Run 5 minutes, walk 2.5 minutes. Repeat for a total of 4 times.
Week 4: Run 7 minutes, walk 3 minutes. Repeat for a total of 3 times.
Week 5: Run 8 minutes, walk 2 minutes. Repeat for a total of 3 times.
Week 6: Run 9 minutes, walk 2 minutes. Repeat once, then run 8 minutes.
Week 7: Run 9 minutes, walk 1 minute. Repeat for a total of 3 times.
Week 8: Run 13 minutes, walk 2 minutes. Repeat once.
Week 9: Run 14 minutes, walk 1 minute. Repeat once.
* If you feel tired after week 9, repeat it a second week.
Week 10: Run 30 minutes.

It is hard, no mistake; by the fourth repetition of running, my legs feel like planks of wood, and my hip joints are starting to really burn. I caught my reflection yesterday, and my chest and arms were flushed red; I come in streaming with sweat. But, I cannot possibly describe the sense of accomplishment I feel after finishing a run; I feel energized and strong, and that is not a feeling I get very often. I am making myself into a runner.

I just bought my first pair of running shoes (TJ Maxx Reeboks for a fabulous deal), and I'm about to invest in a treadmill, so I won't have any excuses not to keep this up. I've programmed specific playlists in my ipod, timed for each week, so it takes the guesswork out of the intervals. I've lost a pound this week, and I'm only on week 2, with two more days to go.

I am becoming a runner, and, unsurprisingly, it is a change that does not only involve my legs. It means something else altogether, deeper and farther reaching.