But I’m aiming to be a runner.

I started seriously attempting to run in January 2013. After a couple failed attempts at Couch to 5k since 2011 (I never got past week 3 either time), I decided to just start at my own pace and not worry if I could make it all the way through a timed run.

Some background on me: Before this year, I was never able to run a mile straight. Before last fall, I was never able to run half a mile. In high school gym class, we were supposed to run half a mile every morning. Never once did I make it the whole half a mile. The only time I came close, I had a mild asthma attack. (And I didn’t know I had asthma and still didn’t get treated for it until a decade later.)

I “ran” my first 5k in 2011. It was the Law Enforcement Memorial 5k, which my company runs every year. It basically involved me doing a week 2 or 3 run of Couch to 5k and then mostly walking the rest of it. My time came in just below 50 minutes.

My second 5k was the Color Run in 2013, so it wasn’t a real race, but it was a lot of fun. However, I developed a terrible side stitch about 3/4 of the way through it and ended up walking much more than I wanted to. (I’ll do a full recap of it later!)

My third is coming up in just a little over a week, this year’s Law Enforcement Memorial 5k. I know I will not be able to run the whole thing (I’m just not there yet), but I hope to possibly PR. My training runs have me around a 39 minute 5k, but I would love to come in closer to 35 minutes.

What do I hope to accomplish? My first goal is to be able to run a whole 5k without walking. Then I would like to tackle a 10k. And then a half-marathon. I’m still undecided if I’d ever want to attempt a full marathon, but I have a while before I’m there yet.

As for the purpose of this blog, it is to share my journey and progression from jogger into (hopefully one day) a decent runner. I’ll share my training, my races, and anything cool I find related to running. Feel free to follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, or Twitter. As for running apps and sites, you can find me on Nike+, Strava, and Garmin Connect.