“Are you a runner?” she asked, as we lined up at the starting line.  It’s a question I’ve been asking myself ever since starting the Couch to 5K training program in July.  I began running to increase the intensity of my exercise, improve my health, and lose a few stubborn pounds.  Every run had been a mental struggle to begin and complete.  Sending in the race application for the 5K had merely been a tactic to provide motivation to continue running once I finished the last week of C25K.  I definitely didn’t feel like a runner, and even joked that I had yet to experience the “runner’s high.”  Now here I was, ready to begin my first official 5K run.  Six months ago I could never have imagined this.  Am I a runner?  “No, not really,” I replied. 

Fueled by good intentions, many of us make New Year's resolutions to begin new healthy habits. The challenge, however, lies in turning these resolutions into reality. The average American makes the same New Year's resolution three years in a row before taking action. For those who do begin, only 40% of all resolutions are successful the first time around while 17% will take at least six tries to reach success.