Forever in my dutiful quest to finally obtain Shakira-hotness shed those pesky and stagnant 30-something pounds off my frame, I decided to engage in something that I have despised since I was an obese 8 year-old in P.E. class: running.
I can't express how much I hate running. I loathe it. I abhor it. Running brings back not-so-fond memories of how I was always mocked for being the last one finishing a lap, huffing and puffing in a pathetic fashion. If running were a person, I would rejoice when it kicked the bucket and I would immediately rush over to the cemetery to dance on its grave.
If I were given the choice to walk for 4 hours or just run continuously for 30 minutes straight, I would choose the walking in a heartbeat. Not only would I burn off more calories, I would be neither out of breath nor as exhausted at the end.
And yet running for 30 minutes straight is exactly what I am striving to achieve.
I recently came across something called the "Couch to 5K" program and decided that a lazy bum such as myself should give it a shot. However, before I immersed myself with progressively getting in touch with my inner Usain Bolt, I deemed it absolutely crucial to purchase a pair of exercise earbuds and download a few Glee song re-makes into my MP3.
(Yes. Thanks to France's W9 channel, I have finally caved in and become a bonafide Gleek and in French, no less. Am I the only one with a crush on Artie?)
So, I dug out some exercise clothes. With my navy blue jacket and exercise pants, I looked as if I were sporting a cheap version of the Marseillais-style of Adidas track suits and Nike running shoes. All I needed was some obscure American baseball team cap and an Olympique Marseille scarf to complete the look.
Week One of the program is the starter phase in which for the first 3 days, I would alternate between running for 60 seconds and then walking briskly for 90 seconds. I naively thought that it would be a piece of cake. Not a literal piece because, obviously, that would be counterproductive to my goals.
In this first week, I've already encountered uncooperative technology...
...extraneous noises...
...and, naturally, the actual arduous task of training my woefully unfit body.
To think that was only the first week. Here's hoping that week 2 will be better for me!
Barb the French Bean
