Originally completed on Thursday, December 19, 2008

Reacting to the pressure of leaving that very a night for a two week vacation where I might not have the opportunity at all to run, I decided to jump to the full 60 minute run. It wasn’t totally random; I made sure I felt not just good but GREAT at the 54 minute mark before embarking towards the last 6 minutes. The result? Due to a technological mishap, I ended up running 65 MINUTES!!! And to boot, I felt like I could have run an extra half hour at least at the end.

Milestone!!!

In all honesty, I didn’t think I’d be as jazzed doing the One Hour Runner, being that I loved the C25k so much, but I was wrong. If you were to ask me which program I loved more, however, I couldn’t answer that one. It’s a lot like asking a mom which of her two kids she loves more. Usually she will say that she loves kid A for kid A’s tenacity but also loves kid B for kid B’s ability to make mom laugh. I loved the C25k because it made me a runner; I loved the OHR because it was what convinced me that running is my thing.

OHR’s also taught me a lot about taking my time during those long runs and spreading my pace out. It helped me knock out bad habits like going all out in the beginning rather than in the end. It pushed me to learn more about training in heart rate zones and other techniques like tempo runs. It forced me to examine how I run so that I can continue forward without injury. C25k was about introducing my body to the hard poundings of the activity and my mind to stretch beyond what I originally thought where my physical capabilities lie, but it was OHR that made me massively addicted to running and opened my mind to enjoying it fully!!!

Good luck to those who are currently in this program. May you find the joy I discovered in the One Hour Runner!