Running sucks. I hate running. That is what I say to myself over and over again as I continue to run. But I do it because it’s good for me. At least that’s what I’ve always been told. I’ve also been told that walking is better for you, but I only believe that to a certain extent.

Recently I ran my first 5k race. Technically I have ran a 5k race before but it was my first time in about 6 years. Since I ended high school a few years ago I fell out of shape. Once I stopped playing soccer I didn’t continue working out all the time and I just didn’t have the endurance to run more than a few feet. It was awful, I would get tired playing wiffle ball in the front yard with my brothers.

So once the New Year came around me and my best friend Allie started working out at least three days a week, sometimes even five times a week. It was dreadful at times. I just wanted to lay on the gym floor and take a nap.

Getting back into shape can be tough, even staying in shape can be tough. Having a workout partner is key. If you don’t have someone to go with or help push you through it chances are you’re just going to want to take that nap instead of going to the gym.

When you first go back to the gym, you feel judged. When you don’t work as hard or lift as strong or run as hard as someone else, don’t feel like you aren’t working you’re hardest. If you are going at your own pace and getting to the point where those people are at one day then that’s a good goal. Some people believe they need to start off “hard” to be “good” at the gym. That’s not the truth at all, start off easy.

Your body has to adjust exercising again. You will feel sore, for a while. It’ll make you want to quit. Increase your workout slowly every day or every other day until you are at your goal.

My end goal is an Olympic triathlon. That consists of 0.93 mile swim, 24.8 miles biking, and 6.2 miles running in that order. The race I have in mind is in early September. I am not fully prepared yet, I’ll be honest. It takes a lot of preparation.

With the warm weather finally coming around I will be able to train outdoors which really gives me ambition to train. During the winter time, you don’t want to get out of bed. It’s just cold out and you don’t want to bike or run in the same spot in the gym. Now that the weather is nice I can practice for real outdoors. I can take my bike out, I can run outside. And as it gets even warmer I can swim when my pool opens.

I have a plan to train and complete this triathlon. It may not be the most laid out complete plan but this is the time to train and I have every good intention to prove to everyone I know to complete this triathlon.

It’s not about the time you get when you complete it or that you came in last, it’s that you finished it. Most people are struggling to walk that 5k I did a few weeks ago. I want to go up to people and tell them I did a triathlon. And then maybe next summer that’s when I will plan to beat my time from the year before and so one every year from that. But until I complete my first one this year I am not concerned about my time, I want to complete it.

It’s all about the success of getting to the finish line. It’s what it took me to get there and everyone that helped me get there. Labor day can’t come soon enough.