Couch to 5K: Week Six
Posted on Apr 28, 2016
Posted in: Couch to 5K
Hello Friends! Welcome to week six of my couch to 5k journey. You can read more about me here. This week we upped the mileage to 2.75 miles. On Tuesday I wasn’t feeling very well and my goal for the night was just to show up. Sometimes when I am tired or feeling blah, I trick myself into working out by saying that all I have to do is show up. I give myself permission to do what my body needs, which may include taking it easy or not exercising at all. Once I am there, whether it’s at spin class or out for a run, I usually muster the energy to exercise as planned. After I warm up I start to feel a lot better and somehow I find the extra energy to get the job done. Sometimes I will go slow but then I figure that light exercise is always better than no exercise. The hardest part for me is finding the motivation to show up. Once I am dressed and out the door then the hard part is done. It may sound silly but it works most of the time. I showed up on Tuesday feeling blah and I still ran 2.75 miles. I finished in 30:13 which is slower than normal but that’s okay with me. I got out there and I did it. On Thursday I felt much better. I ran with one of the faster mentors and she challenged me to quicken my pace. We finished in 27:30.
Another observation I have made is how few calories I burn during my runs. I got a Fitbit for my birthday this year, which calculates heart rate, steps, stairs, distance and calories. Typically for a 30 minute run I will burn around 300 calories. It feels hard when I am running so I just assume that I am burning more than that. Not so. It makes me think twice about indulging in empty calories because I realize how hard it is to burn them off. Healthy habits, like running, beget more healthy habits, like healthy eating. Okay, that’s all for now. Next week it’s 3 miles. Until then keep running!
