Running.

A quote I have actually said:

"I sure hope none of my kids sign me up for any of those 5k-with-mom things...I don't run."

Wait for it...

This summer I have been running.

When I really sit down and think about it, one thing seems to come to mind.  Desperate times call for desperate measures.

You see, I don't like to run. My exercise of choice is to swim. I LOVE to swim laps. I get going in the cool water and feel like a million bucks when I'm done. My mind gets a chance to just think and escape while I'm pulling myself through the water, I am physically tired (the good kind) when I'm done, and nothing hurts.

But... Swimming takes time. By the time I gather my stuff, get to the Y and into the water, swim, get out, shower, change and head home...it's an hour and a half of my day (and that's a short workout...). PLUS...the YMCA has swim teams that use the lap pool certain times of the day, which limits when I can and can't get into the pool.

I just don't have that kind of time, at this time in my life.

The only days I can consistently get to the pool are days that Ethan is home and I don't have to worry about what to do with the kids. That means weekends.

Back to running... After baby #3, I struggled to lose the last 10 lbs. and this summer, I knew I needed to add in some exercise to my life. I HAD to fit back into my clothes by August.

In the past, I have had success with consistently walking, but for some reason, that wasn't just enough...I wanted to get my heart-rate up and feel out of breath.

So, I started slow. Very slow. On the treadmill one day, I just decided to run for 30 seconds, walk for a minute. I would alternate that pattern for my 20 minute walk that I normally do.  And surprise as I was...I didn't die.

AND...doing this allowed me to watch the clock and not go crazy.  You see, I'm a clock watcher. I look at the clock 100 times a day. I even used to get in trouble during volleyball practices..."Why are you looking at the clock, practice is over when it's over..." Seriously. I just wanted to know what time it was.

Eventually I was able to work my way up to running for a full minute, and then two, and finally one day, I ran for 10 minutes straight when I was outside running around our neighborhood.

To many of you, who run seriously, this may not seem like much, but for someone who hasn't done that in well-over 10 years...I was pumped!

I still have no desire to do those 5k-with-mom-things, but I am definitely closer that I ever thought I would be.