I wanted to share this “Couch to 5K” success story with you.  Shannon Fleshman, a Renewal Specialist for McKinley started the program in January of 2012.  Read her story below 🙂

“I truly did start at a place where running 90 seconds was a challenge for me and today I regularly run 3 miles as an “easy” workout. It’s amazing what starting out slow and sticking with it can do. The Couch to 5K program eased me into it so I never felt like it was too hard. One day I was happy to complete 90 seconds of running and before I knew it I was completing 9 minutes and then 9 miles when I ran my first 15K. Now I am registered for the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington D.C. on October 27th, 2013!  It’s a great way for anyone to ease into running and not feel discouraged or overwhelmed.  🙂 So far I’ve lost 52lbs!  I still have 30lbs I’d like to lose and my goal is to do so before the marathon.   I’ve been working on it for probably a year and a half. I’ve found that taking it slowly has helped me to keep the weight off and avoid feeling deprived like on some more strict diets that I’ve been on in the past where I gave up and ended up gaining it all back plus more! Using Weight Watchers as my eating plan and running has been very manageable for me and even though the progress has been slow the numbers continue to go down. Some months when I have vacation, holidays or other celebrations just maintaining my weight is a success and I definitely attribute that to my running program.”

Shannon, great job and THANK YOU so much for sharing your story!!  I’m excited for all of you to start your own “Couch to 5K” journey!!  Please email me when you decide what race you are going to enter and if you know of other races I have not listed.  Enjoy the rest of your day!