3 Minutes: A Recent Memory

This morning when I awoke in my incredibly comfortable bed at the Hyatt Regency Orlando Airport, I knew today would include my first 11k run.  Of course that would take place after my morning habit (a Grande Americano whilst enjoying a leisurely walk).  

After I finished my coffee and browsing I headed up to my room and changed into my workout gear, and then went to the gym.  It didn’t escape me that I began my running adventure last year, May 01 to be exact, at this gym.  I did not know then what journeys I would be embarking on in the year to come.  But do we ever know?

As I approached the treadmill, with some trepidation, I could hear Sabrina coaching me: “You need to slow your pace to increase your endurance.”  With complete faith in Sabrina’s infinite wisdom I gingerly stepped on the treadmill, selected the manual program, started my time, and I began to run.  While I was watching the time tick by, and the miles slowly increase a gigantic smile spread across my face, and goosebumps graced my skin.  A glimmer of a recent memory tickled my mind.  The memory of 3 minutes.

Last year I downloaded a program for my iPhone that would bring any person from sitting on the couch to being capable of running 5k.  My first run with that application was in Orlando, the program had me running for 1 minute and resting 90 seconds for various intervals.  No problem.  However, as the program progressed they expected me to run for 3 minutes. I remember sitting with Pam in her basement suite, enjoying a glass of New Zealand red wine, and asking “How?”  “I don’t think I can run for 3 minutes.”  Pammie with her unerring positive attitude looked at me and said something to the effect, “I don’t know but I can’t wait to find out how this works.  They designed the program, it must work.”  

The morning of reckoning, I drove to Edworthy Park, and started the application.  As my feet hit the pavement, the sun shone on me, and the breeze drifted off of the Elbow River.  The chime rang, the time for walking was at an end, and I started to jog.  My lungs screamed in agony, my legs protested, and I huffed and puffed my way to 3 minutes.

Today, with the knowledge that both Sabrina and Pammie would cheer me on, I jogged my way to 11k.

                        -Claudia