Richmond Register editor Lorie Love Hailey and feature writer Tinsley Carter on Wednesday began a training program designed to take them from sitting on the couch to running a 5K in nine weeks.

The two will be sharing their fitness journey in the pages of the Richmond Register and on a weekly blog at www.richmondregister.com.

Below, Lorie and Tinsley share a bit about why they began the Couch to 5K program and what it means to them.



NO MORE EXCUSES — Lorie Love Hailey

Six years ago, I couldn’t run an errand without losing my breath. On Wednesday, I began a running program with my co-worker Tinsley which guarantees — if followed — we will be able to run a 5K in nine weeks.

In 2003, I weighed in at 260 pounds. I am five feet, four inches tall. To say that a trip up the stairs was cause for a nap is not too much of an exaggeration.

I remember once looking at my arm and thinking it looked like a normal person’s leg. I was miserable and couldn’t live that way anymore.

With help from loved ones, I decided to change my life, one better choice at a time, one day at a time. I prayed for strength and the desire to take care of my body.

It took almost six years, but I am 100 pounds lighter today. I lost weight, but what I have gained is so much more important than the pounds I shed — vitality and zest for a healthy life.

On Wednesday morning, Tinsley and I donned our running clothes and went to Lake Reba, armed with our podcasts of Couch to 5K and the necessary winter gear. We stretched, simultaneously pushed play on our iPods and began what is going to be a wonderful journey.

I have wanted to run for a long time, but with so much extra weight, it was a very painful endeavor and I would give up after a few seconds of a light jog. As the weight came off and I picked up stamina on my treadmill, I knew it was time to give running a real shot.

Tinsley suggested the Couch to 5K program and I only had to think about it for a second before I said, “Let’s do it.”

Sure, all kinds of excuses for why I couldn’t do it came to mind.

“It’s too cold. Start running in the summer.” “How will you work it into your work schedule?” “Can I really run?”

But, my new motto followed. “No more excuses.”

As we were running up a hill, I had one of those goofy moments you see on “The Biggest Loser” where the contestant realizes he or she is becoming the person they always wanted to be. A silly smile spread across my face and I knew it, too. I was becoming the woman I always wanted to be. Healthy, in control of her body and happy.

We decided to share our journey with Richmond Register readers. We want you to become the person you always wanted to be, too.

See you out there!

Reach Lorie at llove@richmondregister.com.



THE YEAR OF HEALTH — Tinsley Carter

2010 is the year of health for me. Although I am at a healthy weight, I am not a particularly healthy person. I smoke a pack of cigarettes a day and my exercise routine is sporadic at best. It’s a long way from high school, when I ran track and cross-country, and kept my running routine in between season.

As of today, I will be on day 2 of no smoking. I need to quit that for myself as much as my 2-year-old daughter. I’ve already told all my friends and co-workers, if you see me smoking, kick my butt - literally, knock it out of my hand.

On Wednesday, my co-worker Lorie and I began a running routine with the Couch to 5K (c25k) program. Hopefully in nine weeks, we’ll be able to run 5K. Our first goal is to run in the Clover Classic in Lexington. From there, who knows? I’ve always dreamed of running a marathon!

I’m super excited to have someone who is as dedicated to getting in shape as I am.

When I mentioned running to someone, they said, “Isn’t it too cold!”

The cold is not an excuse. The heat is not an excuse. My period is not an excuse. There are no good excuses for skipping exercise. Lorie and I will push each other when we’re feeling lazy, and take up Lorie’s new motto, “No more excuses.”

Make this year be your year for health. America is facing an obesity epidemic. Which reminds me of a Lazy Boy song, “Underwear Goes Inside the Pants:”

“They say we're in the middle of an obesity epidemic. An epidemic like it is polio. Like we'll be telling our grand kids about it one day. The Great Obesity Epidemic of 2004. ‘How’d you get through it grandpa?’ ‘Oh, it was horrible Johnny, there was cheesecake and pork chops everywhere.’”

According to the Centers for Disease Control, Kentucky is the seventh fattest state. This puts us and our children at risk of life-threatening diseases, and it’s totally preventable! We’ve got to start doing something about this — or else we’ll end up like the movie “Wall-E” — unable to walk or move on our own!

Make 2010 your year to be healthy, too. And don’t forget to keep up with our successes and setbacks by checking out the Richmond Register’s Web site, www.richmondregister. com. We’ll be updating at least once each week!

Reach Tinsley at tcarter@richmondregister.com.



YOU CAN RUN, TOO!

The Couch to 5k program is designed to take almost anyone from a couch potato to running 5k or 30 minutes in nine weeks.

The program breaks you in easy: the first week starts with a five minute warm-up walk, then alternate 60 seconds of jogging with 90 seconds of walking for 30 minutes, followed by a five minute cool-down. It’s meant to be followed every other day.

Each week you add more running and less jogging, allowing you to build up your endurance.

There are several Web sites that are great for reference, and there are some great Podcasts, in a variety of music, that you can download for free that tell you when it is time to run and walk.

• Cool Running: www.coolrunning.com/ engine/2/2_3/181.shtml is the Web site for the men who created the C25K program. There are workout schedules, as well as a training plan available for download. The training plan will allow you to track your progress online, gives you training tools and daily e-mail reminders.

• Couch to 5k: www.c25k.com is a great site that offers several links to other C25K Web sites and Podcasts. It was created by a man who went from an overweight smoker to a healthy non-smoker who ran a marathon 10 months after beginning the C25K workout plan. There also is a forum on this Web site that allows you to talk and get support from other trainees.

• Robert Ullrey’s Assisted Workout and Training Mixes for your iPod: http://www.ullreys.com/ robert/Podcasts/page4/files/category-7.html. This is the Podcast we are using. He offers a great mix of music and he tells you clearly when to run or walk, unlike other podcasts that just notify the time with a beep or change in music speed. He’s like your own encouraging personal trainer in your headphones!