The running became a lot easier as I started to take the weight off. If you don't have a lot of weight to lose then I think this process would be a lot quicker, but it took me roughly 4 weeks to run my first mile which is about 1/3 of the way to the 5k.
From there, it was all about the run back to the house from where I finished. I continued using my telephone pole method and occasionally going a pole or two extra. I think the toughest part of finishing the 2nd mile was the fact that there is a pretty big hill to run up at the end which I ultimately walked up most days. My toes would start going pins and needles and my hips would kill but I stuck with the goal I had, to run at least as far as the day before regardless of how bad it was.
On a side note, I've learned that properly fitted shoes and padded socks are the most important things ever. I bit the bullet and bought freaking $14 socks (Thorlo Socks) at Sports Authority and it was the best thing I ever did. The padding prevents blisters and they wick away sweat so when I take them off my feet are pretty much bone dry which is pretty impressive. As for shoes and that disaster, I will cover that later.
I continued my 5-6 days a week of running all the way up until race day in early September. Prior to the race I had never run a full 5k, as I think the highest I got was 2.8 miles. It definitely got easier though as I got in better shape and my last run before the race I knew I could do it. The first race I ever ran in was quite fun, but note that running when you have a rush of adrenaline and your heart is pounding can be pretty hard and scary. I settled in after the first mile into my normal 13 minute mile pace. I enjoyed the experience except for damn Summerhill Rd. which is pretty much straight uphill, but nonetheless I had a good time and I finished!
The whole process took me about 8 weeks and I ended up losing about 20 lbs in the process dropping from 240 to about 220 lbs.
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