So a little over a year ago I completed C25k, and then C210k! I was very proud because prior to that I had never run a mile without stopping in my entire life, and I'm just very unathletic in general. It was really cool to see my body actually make progress above and beyond what I expected, and even though I never grew to love running, exactly, I gained a new appreciation for it and what my body can do.

Anyway, I forget exactly why, but around the time I finished the 10k app I just stopped running and never picked it up again. After a certain period of time away from the treadmill, I grew fearful of returning because I figured I had lost all the gains I worked so hard to make. This fear was one of the reasons I waited so long to ever try running in the first place...that I'm bad at permanently incorporating new routines into my life and that all my hard work would be for nothing in the end.

Well, last week I was feeling a little bloated from a lot of rich foods and booze, so I reluctantly laced my sneakers and hopped on the treadmill not expecting much.

Well holy shit, turns out, I could still run for 30 minutes straight without stopping. Not even 30 minutes minus time for warm up...I walked five minutes, ran 30, and walked five. I was FLOORED. I had lost SOME gains...I couldn't, for example, run the 10k without a walking break, but I could start at a WAY higher level than I had ever started before, even with a year break in between. To me, that says a lot about the benefits of doing this kind of program even if you aren't sure if you can stick with it forever.

Hope this encourages some people!