I always envied runners. But I was never any good at running. You probably know the story: whenever I would try to run my lungs burned and my heart felt like it was going to explode. That never seemed to go away so I just concluded that running was something that I would likely never get to enjoy.

But I told myself that when I got down to the 280s I would try. In the past I was able to jog for a short time on the treadmill in that weight range so I was sure I could at least try again. And this time maybe even follow through!

So I did a bit of research and came across the Couch Potato to 5K beginner's plan at www.coolrunning.com. I kept coming back to it in all my research so I decided that when I get down to my jogging goal weight I would jump right in. (Also, I wouldn't tell anyone until I was sure I could do it.)

I hit my jogging goal weight in February and I took the plunge. I added the world's slowest jog to my daily walking routine in little bitty increments.

And I thought I was going to die!

My lungs burnt, my body ached, and I think my heart actually exploded three times.

And that was just day one.

And So it continued for 3 weeks. Alternately walking and jogging (but mostly walking). Until the end of that third week, when-just-for-the-heck-of-it, I managed to jog an entire half mile!

And again my lungs burnt, my body ached, and my heart exploded. But this time only once! So i modified my plan by adding in the half mile jog to my week 4 training. But by the end of the fifth week I threw in a full mile! I did it! I jogged an entire mile without stopping. And the burning sensation was mysteriously gone!

So this is where I messed up.

I was so thrilled about running a mile that I just turned my workouts into running a mile. Everyday. For two weeks. And I was so sore I could barely walk. I hobbled around like a man at least 50 years older! And I experienced no growth in my ability to cover more ground.

Defeated, I returned to the training plan, not at week 7, as I should have been, but at the beginning of week 6. So I was sore AND I lost two weeks of training. Not that I have a race or anything planned (I am so slow at the moment it is sad and/or funny). And I could have really injured myself. Dumb.

So week 6 came and went as planned and I feel good. I am not sore and my breathing is getting better. No more fire in the chest. No more exploding heart (I hope!). But now I am on week 7 and I am struggling to cover the distance I should be running in the amount of time I the site suggests. Today I jogged for thirty minutes and barely covered 2.25 miles. That is short a quarter of a mile and over time by 5 minutes. But you know what is awesome about that? I can frigging jog for 30 minutes!

And you know something else? Jogging out on the road is NOTHING like the treadmill. There is nothing in the world like being out on the road covering miles. It is incredible. I haven't lost much more since I've been jogging but I am all ready reaping the benefits of it: my body is tightening up and I am wearing clothes that I should not be able to wear for another 20 to 30 pounds. I'm loving it! I can't wait to hit the 5k mark. I am confident that I will get there in just a few more weeks.