What a Difference a Year Makes!

I started my workout/weightloss journey in Feb of 2014. I started running in June of 2014. The first time I had ever run a 5k without walking was the annual Tomato Fest 5k in August! My time was 39 minutes and 19 seconds. I was thrilled with that time because I had never ran that far without stopping! I trained with a group all summer leading up to the race, we followed the Couch to 5K program. This group was called Potato to Tomato! Potato to Tomato consists of running 3x's a week for 8 weeks. Everyone is divided up by pace group. Last year I chose the 13 minute mile group because I wasn't sure I would be able to run a whole 3 miles!  I loved that experience so much last year that I decided to come back and train for a 5k again this year! This year I chose the 10 minute mile group in order to reach my goal of finishing the 5k in 30 minutes. That meant shaving 9 minutes and some change off of my time from last summer!  I knew I could run a 5k this year without stopping because I ran an (almost entire) 1/2 marathon without stopping! but I wasn't quite sure I could finish a 5k in 30 minutes (it seemed so fast!). This past Saturday was the race. I finished in 29:27!! That was faster than my goal of 30 minutes! I am so excited that I did so well! A year ago a 10 minute mile would'v never crossed my mind! This summer I really fell in love with the Potato to Tomato program & the awesome coaches that volunteer their time to push their groups & make sure they hit their goals. I can't wait to return next year to attempt a 9 minute mile! Below is a picture of me running last summer, and a picture of me after the race this summer. What a difference a year makes! What a great summer its been! Potato to Tomato & Tomato Fest are now my favorite things about summer & definitely the highlight of my summer thus far! So all of that to say find a running group! Make running friends! It will change your life!