End of Week 2 of training for 10k

CW: I talk about my weight and measurements (such as height and weight). If weight topics are sensitive, please take care while reading. 🧡

I was never athletic before a few years ago, and didn't take fitness seriously until two months ago.

In high school, I never played sports because 1) I was poor, so I couldn't afford any gear or fees (my mom and I didn't have a vehicle either, so transportation to games wasn't an option), and 2) sports were for popular girls, of which I absolutely was not one.

I was awkward and withdrawn, and by the time I was in sixth grade, I was 6 ft tall and a twig, so I was relentlessly picked on for my appearance.

And as I became a young adult, I filled out (a bit) but still stayed relatively thin, so why bother worrying about things like calories or working out?

But, as my thirties hit, my metabolism changed dramatically, and I gained about 40 pounds since my late '20s. So, when I hit my heaviest at 193 lbs, I'd finally gotten to the point where I'd decided I needed to do something about it.

Not because of the number on the scale, or to make my body tighter (though I'd be lying if I said losing belly fat isn't one of my goals), but the main driving factor in deciding to be actually serious about getting fit is the fact that I want to feel healthy again.

I want climbing up stairs to not be something I dread, or when my colleagues at my day job invite me to Corporate Challenge events like a 5k, I don't feel embarrassed by how I can't actually run a 5k (as of now, I can't yet run a full mile straight, either.)

In late April 2026, I decided that I wanted to be the kind of person who prioritizes my health and makes room in my calendar to grow stronger and healthier. When I thought about the types of identities I've used to describe myself, I decided that I wanted to take on an identity that I thought since high school could never be me: a runner.

So, after a bit of research, I signed up for a 10k in October and found a running app that would put together a training schedule for me. Now (as of June 7, 2026), I'm in my second week of training.

Today, right before I decided I wanted to blog about my training experience, I had my "long run" of 6 kilometers.

It's raining here in Kansas City, so I got on my extremely old and dusty treadmill that I bought from a coworker last year for $100 and powerwalked the longest distance I've ever gone (I can't run that yet, ofc.)

I may not have gone as fast as my Runna app wanted me to, and my old treadmill doesn't have elevation, so I couldn't create "hills," but I met my mileage goal for the week (14 kilometers)!