My App of the week!

I have to say, this is one that I never thought *I* would use. I bought this for my oldest daughter to work up to running a mile in CAP. She still isn't using it much. Brat. But she is making her PT numbers so it is ok.

So for some reason, I woke up Tuesday and decided that instead of using the cheap-ass-running-shoes I'd bought the day before to do Wii Active, I was going to try Couch to 5K. I figured it would be too much, i'd end up walking the 30 minutes - mainly due to my knees.

I attempted this after taking my shower, but before the kids were up. The treadmill is not flat at all - I used my handy dandy Stanley Level App afterwards and it is about 3.7 degrees. I seriously felt every. single. degree. I will be honest here, I about died. I made it thru about 1.5 runs and then was able to run number 9 (or is it 8?). But I kept going - with the heater blowing on my back making me hotter, and all the while amazed at the lack of pain in my knee!

See, I had knee surgery April 1, 1988. Back before MRIs..... which meant going in the doctor had no way of knowing the major cause of my pain. After 6 weeks of PT, we were set to do a lateral release to fix my patella tracking problem, and clean up the soft cartilage underneath the patella.

Low and behold, he discovered another problem. See that synovial fluid? Well, that "sack" was wedge between my Femur and Tibia. His first post-op words to me were, "It hurts to run doesn't it?"

Really? Is the sky blue? Do birds fly? PE was pure torture for me in school. TORTURE. Running "hurt" - not "fall over in dire pain and cry" pain, just "hurt". Constant ache. I don't keep doing things that hurt - especially not for YEARS. Boy was I happy that my high school was so small I only had to take PE for 2 years. 2 years of poor grades because, I couldn't run (Thank You Miss Peters for those lovely grades by the way, my GPA appreciated them).

So then he says, "You could have had a medical excuse for PE all these years." I glared at him. (Note, I love my orthopedic surgeon - I'd fly to CA to have him fix me up now if I could, he rocks! He laughed when I glared - and it wasn't the last time I did it either! LOL!!).

But I have never ever RAN again. Nothing more than running after kids. I've attempted the stairmaster, step aerobics, stationary bikes and various other things, but NEVER RAN.

Because running hurts.

However, I had to do something this week. I sent in my application to become a Senior Member in CAP, with the intent of doing all that I can to help the Cadets get the most out of the program. In turn, I'm getting the ability to train in Search and Rescue - my small way of finally being able to give back to those that gave so much to my neighborhood 3 years ago.

But, how could I inspire the Cadets to strive for more - including the monthly PT sessions - if I wasn't able to show that I was doing something to help myself? That seems totally hypocritical to me you know?

So I decided to try to run.

And I just completed Week 1, Day 3 with success. My speeds are up over 1mph from Tuesday, the treadmill is still at an incline but I'm leaving it, and, most importantly, I RAN ALL THE RUNS!!!!!!!!!! (and lived to tell about it! 9 of them, so 9 minutes of running!!!) Wait, the true most important thing -

It didn't hurt.

Not at all. I'm shocked, I'm amazed, I'm ___________ that it doesn't hurt.

I may never enjoy it, and I'm pretty sure my left knee (you know, the one with the torn ACL) couldn't take running on uneven pavement, but maybe someday I will be able to do that. Although, the perk of the treadmill is that it keeps MOVING. LOL, I don't have the guts to turn it off during a session - so I have to keep going. Pavement - not so much helping me :D

But this week, I have to thank Alex Stankovic and his C25k App. Because this NEVER would have happened without it. And, Angela - you too, because you exposed me to the App in the first place, so really, without YOU doing this, I wouldn't be. Isn't that inspiring??? (Angela doesn't like to run at all... but keeps plugging away, which IS inspiring. If she can do it, so can I - I just wish we could do it together instead of long distance!)

I can do this (as long as my arch holds up in the cheap-ass-running-shoes, I dream of comfy expensive ones like I could buy before kids!) and who knows how much I will be able to RUN by April 1, a mere 22 years after I apparently got the problem fixed! (oh, and I will still re-start the Wii Active 30 day challenge this coming week!)

C25k (Couch to 5k), $2.99,