Couch 2 5K: Week 18!

Well, it has been 18 weeks and 54 runs! I cannot believe that tomorrow is the day I have been training for the last 18 weeks.
What a BUSY week the last week of training was! It was the last week of the semester, my sister-in-law graduated which meant lots of wonderful family in town, and I got the privilege of returning to my phase manager roots and help with checkouts in the apartments.  However,I was not going to let all of that interfere with my training. So, I texted my running coach and she suggested I run Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday! This is how it went:
RUN 1: (FUNNY STORY)
So I went to the gym with the goal of doing a 5k on the treadmill. I did my 5 minute walk warm up and then ran for 14 minutes. Walked for 90 seconds an went back to running. Now when I run I cover the screen with a towel so I don't see the time and how much is left. Anyways the second run was killing me!! So after 16 minutes I decide to walk for a minute. Well when I moved the towel I realized that somehow I had bumped the incline to 1.5! So I bumped it back down, walked a minute, and them ran the last quarter mile! I did a 5k in just under 42 minutes!!!

RUN 2: (AT THE OC GYM)
3 minutes walk
13 minute run at .5 incline
90 sec walk
13 minute run at .0 incline
3 minute walk

Run 3:
10 minute run outside

I have LEARNED so much during this process. It has REALLY amazed me how much it has paralleled my recovery journey!
LESSON 1:
Just like with my struggles, if I am serious about working on a hurt, habit or hang up I always do a lot better if I ask for accountability! (I texted or called my running coach after every run! And listened to someone who was further along the journey than me.) Some people made fun of me because of posting all the time on facebook but it really made me go when I did not want to because a least one person (and ofter more) would encourage me!
LESSON 2:
"...Living one day at a time, one moment at a time..." When I thought about having to run the whole 5K in the beginning it was 2 overwhelming but if I focused on the run in front of me and tried my best until I could do it then there were smaller victories that brought me to my goal.
LESSON 3:
Dedication and Determination are so important when trying to make a change. But it is not my "willpower" that got me through but God's will and power in my life.

Let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. Hebrews 12:1