I made it to Week Five! Below will be my reports for this week’s runs (starting Monday – 9/29), in chronological order, as they are posted on those days. To see what the Couch to 5K program is about, along with links to other resources and podcasts, check out the C25K site. To see my prior weeks’ reports, you can navigate to their individual pages either to the right or at the top of the page. Thanks for coming by!

Shannan

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Day One of Week 5!

September 29, 2008

Today’s workout went by fast. The 5-minute running intervals were shorter to me (just as Thomas said they soon would be). I kept running those words through my head when I was doing the first 5 minutes (the workout was: warm-up/5 min run/3 min walk/5 min run/3 min walk/5 min run/cool down). It’s amazing how your body can adjust and repair itself to be able to do even more the next time you push yourself harder. I’m going to be doing 8 minutes at a time next time! I can hardly believe it, but I’m really ready for it. Today seemed easy in comparison to some of my prior workouts.

I can even sort of fathom doing the 20 minutes straight this week, which seems insane if I put myself in my shoes from four weeks ago. But four weeks later I’m starting to think of it differently, such as four groups of 5 minutes, but without the walking breaks (or two 8-minute runs with a little tacked on, no walking breaks). While the podcast was playing, I kept thinking, “If I were doing my 8 or 20 minutes right now, how would the time feel?” Week five’s podcast is the same for all three days, so I can get a feel for the music and for the times Mr. Ullrey announces the different start and stop points.

Oh, and I ditched the travel brochure this time. It was getting in the way, and I’ve found that it does more harm than good to have something there to distract me. I’m finding that I can concentrate better if I’m just staring ahead, the thing I hated doing a couple of weeks ago. I’m no longer trying to “kill time” like I was before. I was comfortable just thinking about my breathing, heart rate, posture, form, etc. and just feeling myself run. (Is there a point where you just start enjoying the movement, or does it come gradually? I was just pleased to be moving my legs and feet, and that was enough.)

Talk to you next time, and thanks for coming by! (If you missed my photo where I tried on my wedding dress after 10 years, check it out here, toward the bottom of the page.)

Shannan

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Week 5, Day Two

October, 1, 2008

8 minutes today, twice! The workout called for a 5-minute warm-up/8-minute run/5-minute walk/8-minute run/5-minute cool-down, and I did it! Physically, it wasn’t too much harder once I had done the 5-minute runs in the past few workouts. I did have an interesting sensation under my right calf that I thought would be worth mentioning. Maybe I stretched wrong, or not enough, beforehand, but around the 5th minute of both 8-minute intervals I got this weird awareness of the muscle that’s directly below my right calf, that goes down about 4 inches.

I was afraid of going on, fearing I was damaging something, but I didn’t want to stop and have to redo the day. It was more a weird feeling than it was pain. It wasn’t constant, but I felt it about every 5th step. It seems too high to be the achilles tendon, but I’m not very knowledgeable about the anatomy of the leg down there. Even now, if I massage it, it’s a teensy bit sore. It never felt like it was pulling, though. I was just very aware it was there. The left leg felt 100% fine. I did notice that my right shoe was a little looser than the left shoe. Could it have been that I tied it too loose and there wasn’t enough support? Maybe it’s growing pains, since this was the longest I’ve run so far.

So, I wanted to say that I wasn’t tortured by the longer times. It really wasn’t boring or made me out of breath. I felt fine, except for the nagging worry that I was going to snap something.  :-\ This week also seems like a bridge to the where the real running starts. On Saturday, I’m going to be doing day 3, which is 20 minutes of running straight through. I actually feel like I can do it now. It’s funny how so much of it is mental. An hour ago, I would have told you I was worried about it, but now that 8 minutes x 2 is behind me, I just have to imagine doing the same thing without the walking break.

Thanks to all of you who have commented on my past few posts regarding the dress. I realize it’s a bit off-topic, but since I’m also trying to lose weight, and I attribute so much of it to the running keeping me on schedule and fitter, I wanted to show everyone how I’ve been doing. I really feel that the running and the weight loss program (WW) are working hand-in-hand in my progress. I’ve always had a hard time committing to any kind of regular exercise, but now that I’m doing the Couch to 5K program and seeing progress every time I work out, it’s become a part of my routine that I enjoy.

Have a good rest of the work week, and try to stay warm, for those of you in the cooler climates (46 degrees here this morning!).

Shannan

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Week 5, Day 3…On Cloud Nine

October 4, 2008

That’s where I am right now, cloud nine. I ran 20 minutes straight today! I stretched properly, did my 5-minute warm-up walk and ran 20 minutes without lowering the speed on the treadmill. I wanted to a couple of times, but quickly talked myself out of it. Afterwards, I did the 5-minute cool down and stretching.

About a half hour later, the song “Kyrie” came on the radio, and I broke down. The words in the beginning just seemed to fit all the way through. Hubby is home with me, and started talking to me when this happened, and I had to show him my teary face. lol I was surprised when I finished the running and was doing the cool-down that I hadn’t broken down with joy of finishing. I had done so when I did just 3 minutes, and hadn’t since. I had made this such a mountain to climb that when I finally did it, I had expected to be overjoyed. I was, but didn’t show it until that half hour later. Ha. This is such a mental and emotional activity for me. I feel great physically and emotionally after I run.

Oh, and I had no pain or irritated muscles this time (which was a worry I had)! Everything felt great. I did have a little of the heavy feeling in my thighs toward the end, but that went away pretty quickly. I had made myself a playlist, instead of using the podcast, because I had heard the same podcast twice already this week and was afraid it would not give me enough motivation to keep going for 20 minutes. Don’t get me wrong, the podcasts are great, but I knew I’d need some music that was my own, that moves me.

That’s about it for the report. THANK YOU to all who pep-talked me before this run. I really needed it. Next week will be a new challenge, but I know I can do it. I am truly hooked on running. I thought I was before, but now I know I am. This is something that has become a part of what I do now. I have a great support system behind me in all my online and offline friends and family, for which I am so grateful. Okay, I’m going to stop making this sound like an acceptance speech. LOL  🙂

Have a good rest of the weekend, everyone! For those of you doing the C25K or having struggles in your running, don’t give up. Take it easy and you’ll do fine. It is possible!

Shannan