W5D3: First Time

Today I attempted the real Week 5 Day 3 exercise, which is run for 20 minutes straight (no walking).  I am proud to say that I almost made it.  I walked for about 15 seconds at the 12-minute mark and another 10 seconds at the 24-minute mark.  Overall, I felt that I went at a very slow pace, focusing more on regulating my breathing from the very beginning and keeping my abdominal muscles squeezed in, especially when my lower back started hurting.  A co-worker who used to run marathons regularly gave me the tip to strengthen my core muscles to prevent my lower back from hurting/aching while running.  I gave that a little thought and realized that when I first started the Couch-to-5K program in mid-March, early-April, I was working with Bobby and attending Body Pump and Core Conditioning classes regularly, so my core was definitely stronger than it's been in the past 3 weeks or so.  My focus on my exercise regime has waned a bit since I've been determined to work on my house some.

So anyway, I made it for two 12-minute intervals without stopping.  That, right there, is an accomplishment.  Now, I just need to track the distance.

W5D2: Try Again

I went to Body Pump tonight, and after arriving home, I quickly put together an iPod track and went for a run.  I still felt pretty warm from the class at the gym, so I skipped the warm-up and went straight to running: 8 minutes run, 5 minutes walk, 8 minutes run.  The first 3 minutes sucked ass, probably because I was running up a slight incline.  But after that, my breathing evened out, and the experience wasn't unpleasant.  When the first 8 minutes were over, I was very much grateful for the 5 minute walking, and near the end of the 2nd 8-minute run, my body gave out.  There were approximately 10-20 seconds left of the exercise when I stopped.  Good thing I was already on my way to the house.

It felt good to make it through the run after having to quit yesterday.  I wonder when I will be able to jump to W5D3.  Twenty full minutes.  I can barely make it 8 minutes...

Maybe I can insert an interval that bridges the gap between 8 and 20 minutes.

W5D2: Pain

I attempted the one-mile run today, but after jogging for about 5 minutes (after the warm-up), my lower back on the left side just above the hip started hurting with every step.  I slowed to a walk and could feel my body trying to limp to take the pressure off my back.  I took that as a bad sign and decided to stop.  I headed for home, thinking that it's better to rest than to risk an injury.  Besides, it was KB night, so I still got some exercise.

Tomorrow has Body Pump and Core Conditioning classes at the gym, and I'm looking forward to that.  I'll give W5D2 another try on Friday after work.  (I figure if I keep telling myself that is what I am doing on Friday, then I will actually do it.)

Look for another post in 3 days.  :)

W5D2: Again

I was so winded after my first attempt at Week 5 Day 2 that I decided it was worth trying W5D2 again.  Good decision.  I felt like I was able to lengthen my stride a little bit during the first 8-min run, but the last 8-min run was difficult.  I could barely pick up my feet, so the strides ended up really short and it felt like I was trottin' along.  My body seems to know when the end of the 8 minutes are coming close because I can feel the panting trying to start.  I managed to hold off until the 'Stop' cue sounded and then was overcome by a sense of relief when I could breathe "normally" again.  I may be doing W5D2 a third time since I seem to struggle with this one.  W5D3 is 20 minutes of continuous running...2 miles...(I think), and I just don't think I'm ready for that yet.

I was just thinking that I could probably run a mile now.  I can run for 8 minutes straight, which is probably about three-quarters of a mile.  I have never run a full mile before in my life and am excited to try.  Maybe that will be tomorrow's endeavor.  How exciting!!  I'll have to bring a stopwatch to see how long it actually takes me.

Do Over

After completing what I thought was Week 6, I looked back at the Couch to 5K website only to discover that I had done Weeks 5 and 6 completely wrong.  The Day 2 and Day 3 workouts were not exactly like Day 1 of that week, so now I feel obligated to go back and do the curriculum that I inadvertently skipped.

So, on Monday (5/17), I went out for my first run in a week, which alternated 8 minutes running, 5 minutes walking, and 8 minutes running.  The first 3-5 minutes of the first run interval were rough, but I made it.  The 5-minute walk was enough to let me sufficiently recover, so by the time I had to start running again, I was able.  My body--and therefore my breathing--started to stagger (and the panting/gasping for air was just around the corner) when I had about 30 seconds left.  I figure that's not so bad after not running all week.

Hopefully, this week will be better, and I won't go 7-8 days between runs.  Unfortunately, I'm already at the 4-day mark.  Maybe it won't be so hot when I get home tonight...

W6D1: Cool, Air

The temperature today in Raleigh was very cool.  It was about 69 degrees when I went out to go for the first Week 6 run around 5:30 p.m.  As I had thought, Week 6 has the 8-minute run interval.  and as I have said before, it was not as bad as I had thought.

Dana had told me while I was in TX that I should not look at the ground in front of my feet when running. You think that'd be something you'd already know, but when you're paranoid about turning your ankle on a rock you didn't see, watching your feet while running seems not only logical but necessary.  Well, not for the last time, I think D was right.  I tried running keeping my eyes level and only caught myself staring at the pavement a foot in front of my toes once or twice.  The difference it made was very welcome, as I seemed to have more air (i.e. more oxygen) since I wasn't hunched over staring at the ground.

W5D4: Hot

Since I've been putting so much time between runs, I decided to do one more day of the Week 5 run.  I think my body held up fine during the 5-min segments, but it was warmer and more humid than I'm used to.  I think that made it mildly unpleasant.  It probably would have been smarter to run earlier in the morning than 11:00 a.m., but that's just how timing of things worked out today.  If I plan to continue to run in the summer, I will probably relocate to somewhere with a breeze.  Preferably gusty wind.

On to Week 6 next time...  doesn't *that* one include an 8-min interval?