Couch to 5K: Week Five
Posted on Apr 21, 2016
Posted in: Couch to 5K
Couch to 5K: Week Five
Hello Friends and welcome to week five of my couch to 5k journey. You can read more about me here, here, here, here and here. We are officially half way through the program now and it is amazing how far I have come. As I have mentioned before I have never been able to add running to my fitness routine in any meaningful way. My best effort was after my son was born. I was determined to lose the baby weight and running (or walking) was the only way I could exercise with an infant in tow. I bought a used jogging stroller and took to the trail by our house. The best sustained running effort I achieved was 1.5 miles and it felt like a slog. I hated it so much I only got out once or twice per week. Now I am running 3-4x per week and we are already up to 2.5 miles. Each week we add 1/4 mile to the distance. The incremental increase builds strength and endurance so slowly that I hardly even notice we are running further. This week we ran 2.5 miles. On Tuesday I finished at 25:09 and on Thursday I finished at 25:33. I am very close to a ten-minute mile and it feels good. Hard but do-able.
At the start of the program I set three goals that I wanted to accomplish: (1) finish the Cellcom 5k in 30 minutes, (2) run continuously for 30 minutes and (3) incorporate running into my fitness routine. I would be thrilled if I achieved numbers 1 and 2 but the most important goal for me is to make running a permanent part of my life. Running is one of those skills that I can carry with me in all stages of life. It is portable, requires minimal equipment and gets you a good workout in a short amount of time. After five weeks I can feel the barriers to running starting to crumble. Now I am no longer intimidated to go for a run. I feel confident that I am indeed a “runner” even if I go slow or I only run 2-3 miles. I will be the first to admit that running is not my favorite way to exercise. I still prefer cycling or hiking or cross-country skiing. But now I can add running to my fitness repertoire without feeling like it’s too hard or I feel stupid doing it. I am starting to feel like it is here to stay. Running is just one more way to stay healthy and that is something I can get behind. Speaking of behinds, take a look at ours! Next week: 2.75 miles. Until then keep running!