I first started running as a way to get healthy. I am the heaviest that I have ever been and have type 2 diabetes. Exercising and losing weight is a way to manage my type 2 diabetes. I felt that running would be a great way to exercise and become healthy again. I have never really run before, except in high school, when we had to do the mile run each year in gym class. But when I first started running, I actually loved it!
Running made me feel accomplished because I never thought that I could be a runner. I see a ton of virtual races being promoted on Facebook and found a few that looked interesting. Virtual races appealed to me over live races due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I chose the “Day of the Dead” themed 5K virtual race because I find sugar skulls and the Mexican culture beautiful. So I challenged myself and started training for them. I used the Couch to 5K mobile app where it has you run and walk in intervals. Couch to 5K is a training app that offers a nine-week program to help you run a 5K distance.
I stayed consistent and kept at it until I got to the point where I could run 3 miles at a time. I used one of the Couch to 5K training sessions as my time for my first 5K. The virtual run was slow, but I am proud to say that I did it! I accomplished what I started with exercising and my journey to be healthy again. That’s my story of how I became a runner and finished my first 5K!