My Couch to 5K Story

About eight years ago, I was a TV junkie. Each night was a specific show I had to watch and my family knew when not to call me. I watched CSI, House, Survivor, American Idol, Cold Case, Without a Trace, and some others that have since been erased from my memory. They seemed so important at the time, these crime/medical dramas or ‘reality’ shows. I’d eat bad fast food or take out and escape into the tele.

Then, I started really thinking about what I was watching and how much time I was spending living in someone else’s world. The plot lines all became the same, and the reality was anything but real. Why was I filling my head and life with this? I began watching TV less and less. And then, I became a different kind of junkie – a running junkie.

After participating in a small, local, youth-organized 5K, I graduated to another one that was a fundraiser for an animal shelter where I volunteered. And then another followed, and another. Costume runs, night runs, city runs, suburb runs, I loved it. This to me was life. People out there running were real and I became a part of them. To begin with, I wasn’t fast, I walked a lot, but I enjoyed every bit of it and looked forward to pushing myself and getting better. I tackled a 10K and a half marathon and realized I like 5Ks. I do about one a month and thrive on getting just a little bit better each time. I’m never first, but I start and I finish and I have fun.

Mostly, I realized I could easily survive without TV shows dictating my life. Have I given up TV all together? No, but I changed the way I watch it, either DVD or Netflix (so I don’t have to endure horrible commercials). I’m always a season behind with my new favorites like Big Bang Theory and Downton Abbey, but I do it on my time. Usually that is when it is too rainy or a rest day and I’m not running anyway. The TV schedule no longer controls how and when I spend my time and I feel more alive than ever before.

If you’re thinking of making a change for the better, consider* putting down the remote, lacing up the running shoes and experiencing your life in 3D. You’ll be amazed at how “high-def” it really is.

(*Always consult your doctor before starting any new type of exercise program to make sure it is right for you.)