Running for a Reason

Last year I did the local breast cancer 5K walk/run for charity. I walked most of it, jogging a little bit here and there. My finishing time was a miserable 55.33. The biggest problem with my time was having to start with the walking group. There was such a bottle neck of people who were in no hurry to get anywhere, it was hard to break away from the crowd.
Normally I can walk a mile in 20 minutes or less while pushing both kids in a double stroller. You would think walking the 5K without pushing the kids in the stroller would mean a much better time. So, after being unhappy with my finishing time, I decided that next year I would run the race. I figured I had a year to get ready.
That was nearly 6 months ago. I hadn't thought about it much until recently. The other day I noticed that there's a 5K race in Chicago to benefit lung cancer research. My Mom has lung cancer. I've known 3 people who have died of lung cancer. That's it! I'm going to do it, and I will run it. I've called some people and told them of my plans, and now I'm posting it on my blog. That means I can't back out, I've committed myself.
I never thought of myself as a runner. In fact I find it difficult to jog for just 2 minutes at a time. That's OK, I'm up for the challenge. I started training on the treadmill 2 days ago and I can definitely feel the muscles in my legs like never before! My nephew tells me that it usually takes just 8 weeks to train for a 5K. Well then, 6 months should do me just fine!