RiverBender Blog: I'm Running a 5K
I’m doing it, team. I’m running a 5K.
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Earlier this year, I spoke into existence my three New Year's resolutions. One of them was to run a 5K, mostly just because I had never done it before and I wanted to start exercising more consistently. This felt like a great way to push myself, without actually pushing too hard. After all, I figured it would be easy.
“How hard can it be?” I said, the words of fools, as I wrote out my goals. “People do it all the time. It’s just three miles!”
Oh, the irony of my confidence. Now, several months later, I can say that it is not actually that easy.
My 5K training started in the spring. I’ll admit it, I’m not a runner. I enjoy walking, and I’m happy to walk a few miles after work when the weather is nice. But I rarely kick myself into gear and make it up to a jog. So I knew I had the stamina to complete three miles, but the question remains: Am I going to run it, or end up walking/crawling to the finish line?
In the March breeze, I stretched and began my leisurely walk around the park. In April, I kicked it up a notch and got on the treadmill, listening to Taylor Swift songs and managing a speedwalk. By May, I could run a solid half mile without stopping, which may not sound like a lot (it isn’t), but was a lot better than where I started. I figured I just needed to keep going until I could do that five more times, and I’d be golden.
One night, I was on the treadmill when my cat, Franklin, jumped on the moving belt and went zooming off. He was fine and, in fact, gave me a quizzical glare when I scooped him up and cooed over him. I, however, was traumatized.
“We’re done now,” I announced to Franklin the Menace Cat. He batted at my sweaty ponytail. I switched off the treadmill and haven’t touched it since.
Now it’s July, and that’s been the extent of my 5K training. The year is halfway over and I’m not much closer to meeting my resolution than I was in January.
That is, except for one damning fact: I signed up. I committed. I paid the money and put my name down and I’m set to run Centerstone’s Life;Story 5K on Sept. 6, 2025. I say this with a mixture of dread and excitement. There’s no turning back now.
I restarted my 5K training last week. I have seven weeks to go from couch to 5K. With my deadline in mind, I hit the trails and managed 1.5 miles of intermittent walking and running before I got dizzy in the afternoon heat and had to turn around.
At this point, I’m not going to kill this 5K. It’s going to kill me.
But like I said, there’s no exit strategy. I’ve told people about my plans. I can’t back out without embarrassing myself, so instead, I’ll be embarrassing myself on Sept. 6 as I complete the three miles.
Meanwhile, everyone in my life is skeptical.
“That’s going to happen this year?” my grandmother asked when I reiterated my New Year’s resolution.
“I believe you can do it, but you better start soon,” my friend pointed out when I mentioned I had signed up for the 5K in September.
Not only must I run this 5K for myself, but also, to prove everyone wrong. (And, of course, for a good cause; the Life;Story 5K raises money for Centerstone’s services, including their crisis and suicide prevention work.) So wish me luck, Riverbend. I’ll be hitting the gym. Updates to come in September.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.
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