Running Towards A Goal

Matt Margolis

Every now and then I like to share something non-political here. Today, I’d like to promote something that has made me do something that I once would have written off as impossible.

Today I graduated from the Couch-To-5K Program.

What is that? you ask. It is a nine-week program that starts you off running for short periods of time, gradually building your run intervals up so that you can, by the end of the program, run a 5K.

Now, I have never done recreational running or even running for exercise before. When I first started the program, the 60 and 90-second running intervals were a struggle for me. Today was my third day of a full 30-minute run, and with the help of a great iPhone app called RunKeeper, I have been able to monitor my progress. Today my average pace was 10:06 per mile. That may not be fast to most people, but for me, I still can’t believe I could do it.

Oh yeah, and I have been running virtually barefoot.

Shortly after I started the program I started wearing Vibram FiveFingers, which are a minimalist footwear designed to allow your feet to do the job they were designed to do while offering you minimal protection. Barefooting is an interesting thing, after spending your entire life believing that you need to shod your feet to enhance performance and protect yourself from injury.

Anyway, for our readers that are looking to get in shape and would like to give running a try, I recommend the following things.

Anyway, I just thought I’d share. And for the record I have not been paid to use or promote these products or programs.