when the student becomes the teacher....

I've been running for 3 years. In that 3 years I've seen myself go from couch to 5K back to the couch, from the couch to 10K and then onward to half marathon. In 3 years, 20 lbs have been lost. In this 3 years, I've seen friends get turned on to running and have loved sharing the experience with them.

Somewhere along the line, I became bona-fide crazy runner. Somewhere between that 10K, the 5 miler in the snowstorm, the New Years Day runs, and the half marathon, I became a resource on the last subject I ever expected to be a resource.

And now, in a new venture, I'm putting this vast container of knowledge to use! For the next few weeks, I will be serving as a mentor 1x a week. This week I got to lead the newbies on the first day of the couch to 5K program. It was so amazing to see this diverse group get out and run. It was empowering to see women who had no intention of even running the 1 minute intervals in the program actually run those intervals. I was thrilled when I asked who wanted 1 more minute round and everyone was up for it! As we ended that last run interval, I asked, "who feels like they just did a 21 minute workout?" They were truly shocked how those little intervals added up.

Not only was I the time keeper, perky carrot in the front, I was also getting asked many questions and giving some advice on shoes, and running in general. It felt so good to share my passion.

While for me, it wasn't too hard of workout, I was transported back to when I couldn't even do that 1/2 mile. When 1 minute left me gasping for air. When the mere idea of ever running 3.1 miles seemed like an impossible dream. I'm looking forward to seeing these women grow in their journey to 5K whether they walk it or run it!