Meet the Wannabe

There once was a young teacher who envied runners.

They must find such great relief in their runs, and of course they look so very cool out there running their little hearts out. Oh, how she wanted to be one. But oh how she could not run.

Until she found the program. The program that changed it all. Couch to 5k, affectionately known as C25k. The 9 week program helps you become a runner through baby steps. And baby steps is what she needed!


The journey began November 20, 2009, with W1D1 (Week 1 Day 1) of C25K. It involved much sweat and a few tears, but it was finally over March 1, 2010 (okay, more than 9 weeks, but life gets you sometimes!). However, no matter how long it took, she was ecstatic once she reached the end!!


Before she even finished the program, she ran in her first 5k race on February 20, 2010 (Cupid's Cup in Charlotte, NC). Her amazing cousin ran it with her, and they had a ton of fun!


She finished this race in 31min 53sec - great time for a first 5k!! She did her second 5k on March 13, 2010 (Get Your Rear in Gear benefiting Colon Cancer). Her "team" had nifty shirts, including a baby's hiney, but she personalized her and made it a bit more modest for her tastes...


Although she wanted to improve her time, she completed this race in 32min 22sec - about 30sec more than her previous time. Arg! Her third race was April 17, 2010 (Come See Me). Her two cousins ran in this race as well!


This time, she finished in 29min 1sec!!! WOO! This was her personal best, and she even went below 30min!! She also received an award towel for placing 2nd in her division of ladies.

[picture coming soon]

Since completing C25K, she has been working with the One Hour Runner (OHR) program to train for a 10k, which she will run in on May 15th. She ran her full hour yesterday, and went about 5.95 miles - not too shabby for an hour!


She will soon be starting training for a half marathon - training start date and race date are both still TBA! She has a great support system in her parents, who attend all of her races, and also keeps herself accountable by posting on the C25K forums.

Who is this person we speak of? (I just realized that I've been typing in third person this whole time! lol) My name is Ellen Justice - nice to meet you! Join me on my journey to becoming a true Road Runner!