Nike Women's 15k // Week One

Back on my 29th birthday, I posted part of my 30 Before 30 list, which included two fitness related goals: Make fitness and healthy eating part of my day-to-day and Run a half marathon. I was already well on my way to leading a healthy lifestyle that included a regular fitness routine, largely thanks to my involvement with the NTC classes at Academy of Lions and more recently my Classpass membership, but when I made the half marathon goal, it wasn't clear to me exactly how that would play out. And then Nike announced the first-ever Nike Women’s Toronto 15k. Taking place on June 14 on Toronto Island, I immediately knew that this was the perfect opportunity to run my first race, and then when Nike asked Alyssa and I if we'd be interested in starting our own run club to train for the 15k, all of the pieces started to fall into place.

And so, the Rainbow Run Club was born. Comprised of 15 women with varying degrees of running experience, we're embarking on a 10 week journey to train for the 15k with the help of Nike. Last week was the first week, and though I was away and sadly missed the first run, I did make sure to run a few times while I was in The Bahamas. As someone who has only recently started running regularly, I'm somewhat terrified, and at this point, running 15k seems like a pretty daunting feat. Because of that, I couldn't be happier to be taking on this challenge with a group.

I've decided to document the process here, sharing my training journey and holding me even more accountable. One week in, my main focus at the moment is scheduling in at least three runs a week, building my endurance and increasing my distances. Up until now, none of my runs have been longer than 6k, and though I know it's somewhat psychological at this point, I'm having a hard time getting past that number.

With our Rainbow Run Club meeting every Monday evening, I'll be recapping my week (almost) every Sunday, sharing the ups and downs of that week and the progress I've made. Needless to say, this experience is definitely going to be a challenge, but I couldn't be more excited to tackle it. 

Nike Burnout Fly Tank Top // Nike Pro Classic Web Sports Bra

Photos: Jason Matos