I am not a runner

I am not a runner. I do not like running. I don’t get the runners high.
These are the messages I hear myself repeating in my head and when I speak to others concerning running.
Earlier this year, I started a couch to 5k plan to help myself become more physically fit. Some health and family drama happened around that time and I quit my training. The dust has settled in my personal life so a couple of weeks ago I decided to try training for a 5k again. I decided to start a few weeks or so in the program because after all, I wasn’t a complete beginner, right?
It is a struggle at first but each run does get easier. I am now up to 5 minute running intervals (5 minute run, 1 minute walk). Every time I bump up my minutes, there is a temporary struggle but then it does get easier.
Today when I was walking home from my “run” with my latte reward, I walked by an older couple who saw my 5K shirt from 2005 and asked me about it. I told them it was a race from 2005. The lady then exclaims “Oh you are a professional”. I about dropped my latte. To this I replied with a giggle “not exactly…I walked the race”. Her response to that was “oh that is good too”.
While I certainly don’t think I am a professional, it is all about perspective. To this lady who probably has never done a race in her life, I was a professional. Maybe I am not yet a runner today, but I can be a runner. Something that I thought was out of my reach can be really easily achieved. I can keep training and run an entire 5K just like that lady could walk one (barring any major health issues).
Hopefully when you see in a month, I will have run my first 5k (completely by running). Perhaps someday I can do a distance race, who knows?