It’s taken me over half the month, but I’m finally going to
start writing about my 5k “training.” If
you recall from my resolutions,
this is the month I had planned to complete my first 5k. Although training began back in March for me,
I want to share my progress with you this month.
Let me start by
telling you that I’m the furthest thing from a runner imaginable. You know that lady who runs every day and
signs up for at least one marathon every year (and enjoys it)? Yep, not me.
You know that lady who signs up for a marathon and ends up walking ¾ of
it, only to struggle, gasping for air across the finish line? Also not me.
I’m the woman my family would end up searching for hours after the last
runner has finished, only to be found in the fetal position off to the side of
the road, barely a mile from the starting point. I’m that
kind of a non-runner. So, when my friend
asked me to run a 5k with her, naturally, I said yes (because apparently I’m a
glutton for punishment).
I had been hearing a lot about the Couch to 5k app, so I
thought that was a good place to start.
If you’re not familiar, it’s an app that takes a “beginner” runner, and
trains them over a course of 8 weeks to ultimately be able to run a 5k.
Week one starts with alternating 1 minute of running with 90
seconds of walking. Week two gradually
moves up to 90 seconds of jogging and 2 minutes of walking. It continues to slowly increase the time you
spend running, and decrease the time you spend walking. Easy, right?
That’s what I thought… until I got to week five. Day one is ok; it’s five minutes of running
and three minutes of walking, three times.
On day two, they surprise you with eight minutes of running, five
minutes of walking, and eight minutes of running. Oh jeez, wasn’t expecting that. It was tough, but I got through it. On day three, though, they slap you in the
face with a 20 minute run. WTFrack, C25K
app? What the hell about the fact that I
need an app entitled COUCH to 5k would lead you to believe that I’m capable of running for TWENTY flipping
minutes?! On week 5?!
So, in a nutshell, that’s how it’s going. Not great, but I’m going to keep going. We’ll see what week 6 brings.
What about you, do you run? If so, for the love of God, why?! Can someone honestly tell me it gets better, and that maybe it becomes enjoyable?
I have been running 5ks for the past 3 years for my own self fulfillment... clears my head and gives me something I can control in life....good luck on your first one! It'll be bittersweet and maybe you'll find yourself running another one soon after :)
ReplyDeleteIn my thirty's I started running and did it for a long time. I really did enjoy it. We lived in Minot, ND and the summers were great for that activity. However, the USAF decided to send us to Phoenix, AZ. My running came to an abrupt halt when, upon arriving, it was 97 degrees. During the winter you could run, but I no longer had my running partner, she moved to TX. Needless to say I never returned to it. I wish I had, however, that's life. NOW, NO WAY! Hang in there Jessie.
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