Here's a phrase I never thought I would say

Here's the deal: I suck at exercising.

This has been on my mind a lot lately with a wedding, having to fit into a dress (which actually might have been a little small--yay, me!), and that I am no longer in any kind of organized sport. I am so out of shape, it's ridiculous...I'm losing weight, but I'm losing muscle, not fat. It's not exactly healthy, and I have been thinking about what to do with my situation.

I hate running. Like H-A-T-E, HATE. It hurts my knees, my back, and every other joint imaginable (and I'm only 23...sad). However, I keep seeing Facebook posts (best. peer. pressure. ever.) about how people are training for 5k's and marathons. And some of these people were bigger than me when they started. So I think to myself, "I could do that, right?" And then I think back to how much I hate running, and I laugh that I even considered it.

I love the elliptical. I could be on that for an hour and feel really good about myself. But here's the thing: it gets boring. I can't do the elliptical for an hour every day. So mixing things up is the way to go, but then I get lazy and don't get out my Zumba discs at home because that wine glass and couch look so much more inviting.

So here is what I have decided (drum roll, please!): I am going to train for a 5k (that's the phrase, if you were wondering)! Crazy! Especially since I was just like, "I hate running." My motivation will be this blog. Even though not many people read this, it will at least keep me semi-accountable. I may not actually finish, but I am going to give it a go for at least two weeks. And if after that time period my tendinitis, hips, and back are still driving me crazy, I will take that as a sign to rest and stick with a little more low impact workouts.

There are just over 10 weeks until the 5k Color Run in Des Moines. I found a 10 week plan which I will start next week (as long as it doesn't snow or become unbearably cold  because I have no treadmill to use!). I am getting a running watch and maybe new running shoes because mine are horrible.

Now, just don't make fun of me if you see me running on the side of the road--I will either be huffing and puffing or running wildly because anyone who knows me knows I run like a total girl.

Yeah...I'm definitely not Rachel.

My first week of training:

Day 1-3: Brisk five-minute warm-up walk.
Begin with 60 seconds of running followed by 60 seconds of walking for 15 minutes.
Walk slowly for 5 minutes.
Total time = 25 minutes.

Off days will be spent in rest, at the pool with a light swimming session, or light weight training. One day off completely for rest.

Total run/walk time for the week = 75 minutes

I will let you know how it goes. Good luck to me...and my knees.