I was RUNNING!

'You and I are going to run a mile', my cousin said with a huge smile on her face.

I grimaced. She laughed. 'You think I'm in shape, but I'm not!', she tried to reassure me. It didn't really work.

I started the Couch to 5k program in January and made it through week 3 before the snow came and shut this place down for three days straight. I've had a hard time finding my motivation to get back on track since then. I made it up to running for three minutes at a time..but that was back in Febuary.

I have found that building up your tolerance doesn't take long..but neither does losing it.

By the afternoon we were both lounging in her living room, you could tell neither one of us really wanted to get up, get changed, and go run. But we kept talking about it and I finally said 'Let's just get this over with so we don't have to worry about it anymore'. We changed and hit the street.

My cousin said, 'You are going to set the pace. I'm here for you.' And I whined, 'But I don't know HOW to set the pace.' And she yelled at me, teasingly, 'Well you are going to learn.'

I started jogging, slowly, slogging along to the beats of Carrie Underwood. The wind felt like a hand pushing against my chest, blowing directly in our faces. It was like jogging in quicksand. My cousin is idly chatting away. I, on the other hand, feel like I'm going to die.

'Focus on your breathing, in through your nose and out through your mouth. Deep breaths. You have to get past that wall.', my cousin chripped. I might have snarled at her. At this point, we have been running for about seven or eight minutes. The longest I have ever run in one stretch. My thoughts started turning towards excuses. It's not that I CAN'T do it..it's just that I don't WANT to do it. Really, I don't want to. This is stupid. Let's just stop. But those were all just thoughts...I couldn't catch my breath enough to say anything.

My cousin was right, I did get past the wall. My lungs took their screaming down from a ten to maybe a five. I started thinking that maybe I wouldn't die after all. And then I started feeling like I might throw up. I'm sure there is something in the HOA rules and regulations about throwing up on the sidewalk. Surely it is strictly prohibited!! 'You are doing great,' my cousin cheers. 'I feel like I'm going to throw up,' I warn her. She slowed us down a little, 'Whoa, whoa..let's just take it easy.' I couldn't tell if that was concern for me or the scathing letter she would get from the HOA for allowing her cousin to throw up in the neighbors yard?

I focused my thoughts on just making it back to her house without embarrassing myself by horking in the street. And guess what? It worked! And I made it!!! The whole way without stopping! Without throwing up!

Yay me!

I couldn't have done it without my cousin being my little cheerleader. But I am still very sure that she is in better shape than me.