So I did it today, I hired a fitness coach.  Thinking back to when I started this running thing about a year ago, I had no idea where it would take me.  Honestly I thought it would take me  down the road a few times until I was sick of it and back on the couch I would go.

 I can remember year after year making that resolution to start running only to completely chicken out because I was worried what people would think.   They would look at this fat awkward old man thinking who are you kidding, nice try.   So year after year went by letting my fears of how my running would be received by my friends and the stranger that drove by.

Finally I did it and took that first step using the couch to 5k program and it was hard., but I pushed through.  I finally got bored of music as my runs got longer so I looked for something else and discovered podcasts which brought me into the Runnet community.  I have never met a better group of people anywhere. The immediately accepted my as a member, a friend, and most surprisingly a runner. I then started this blog and my own podcast FishaDad Podcast and immediately I had subscribers and I am sure they are both nice people.  But why did they care what I have to say.  Finally came the ultimate complement, I have a few friends approach me and ask for help in starting running.  Wow, to have someone ask me, what an honor.

In the last few weeks I have really taken things to the next level, I purchased a Garmin to more accurately measure my runs, signed up for a Half Marathon and ran 13.1 miles just for fun, and most recently hired a fitness running coach (Coach Jeff) from PRSFit.com.  I really think in a lot of ways I have stepped up to a new level and find myself again looking out the window, scared and wondering am I good enough.  Time will tell but I will never know if I don't try.

Remember Everything Always Looks Better After A Run!!!

I headed into this winter with the goal of running through the winter.  In the past I had stopped running and took the months of January and February off.  This took any of my progress I had accomplished over the year and flushed it down the toilet and come spring I was starting at square one again. To me this was a waste, but I hated or at least thought I hated running in the winter.

So I headed into the winter staying with my running schedule regardless of the weather.  Some changes I did do was I would look at the weather and run at the  warmest time of the day.  Since I was progressing slowly into the cold temps as I ran my body became strangely acclimated to the cold and weather.  I started having guidelines that I figured out trial and error like wearing a jacket if the temperature was under 40 degrees and pants if the temperature is under 20 degrees. This may and probably would not be a fit for you but it worked great for me.

As I continued I was forced to run in rain and snow and honestly they became some of my favorite runs. The only issue was the clothing and equipment I had.  My jacket was a light wind breaker and let water come right through.  Don't get me wrong it served the purpose just fine and if you are just starting a running program don't spend a ton of money on the best jacket.  Get a cheap one at Walmart or some other store. Make sure it is light and bright so it is comfortable and easily visible.  I recently bought a new jacket that is wind and weather resist and and really really comfortable.  

Finally I had a lot of trouble when it was slippery out like when it was snowing or icy.  Some would say ok, don't run on those days but for me having run in a snow storm that was not an option. So today I bought a pair of  YakTrax and cannot wait to use them on a run in the snow.  They slip over your sneakers and are like running with snow tires on.  In the end somehow I have gone from a person who refused to run in the winter to a person who work his schedule so that I run when the snow is predicted to come down the hardest.

Why do I do that, because it is a blast and most people wont.