That day, for no particular reason, I decided to go for a little run.
– Forrest Gump

Taking a line from Mr. Gump, I wouldn’t necessarily call my plunge into running a journey; it was more along the lines of a spontaneous fire being lit under my ass for no apparent reason. Even today I don’t have a good explanation as to why I started, but I’ll try to explain the sudden bombardment of exercise and fitness posts on my social media accounts. (Because I know that not everyone enjoys reading about gains and miles and #fitness.)

Back in January I came across a 5km obstacle course/race event on Facebook that looked like a hella lotta fun. The entry fee wasn’t too crazy yet, so I signed up even though it’s not until June. Then I figured, why not make it a goal to do three 5km races this year? It would be relatively easy to accomplish – there’s a 5km race in March, plus the big Boogie the Bridge event in May, and the 5km obstacle course in June. Done!

So with that March race in mind, I figured it was time to perhaps start training a little bit so I didn’t collapse and die 1/3 of the way through. I think it was the first Monday after I had signed up for the June race that I set my alarm and told Kyle to kick my ass out of bed so I can go put some distance down on the treadmill. I didn’t get very far (1.92 miles/3.08kms in 25 minutes), but it was enough to make me want to improve. I’ve been getting up early 3 days a week to run and it feels pretty dang good.

Now, I was asked by someone about why I decided to start running, and I still don’t really have an answer. Maybe it’s because it’s a good way to balance out my love for food and couch time. (I will, good Sir, run for nachos.) Or maybe it’s because it seems to be helping reduce stress. Whatever the reason, I do know that it’s certainly not bad for me, providing I don’t push myself too hard. Perhaps one day I’ll work up to a half-marathon (The Seawheeze would be pretty amazing to tackle!) or maybe even a full marathon, who knows! For now, I’m happy with my progress and will set new goals when I feel I’m ready.