I’m halfway through week four on the Couch to 5K program.
It’s awful. I hate it.
No! No. I don’t mean that. It’s just . . . challenging. Weeks one and two were great—not too hard, I enjoyed the time outside (by myself), and I felt good about what I was doing.
Now, a couple of weeks later, the pain has set in. Here’s this week’s plan:
- Warm up – 5 minutes
- Run – 3 minutes
- Walk – 1:30 minutes
- Run – 5 minutes
- Walk – 2:30 minutes
- Run – 3 minutes
- Walk – 1:30 minutes
- Run – 5 minutes
- Cool down – 5 minutes
I’m officially running more than walking, even counting those luxuriously long warm up and cool down periods. And, while my lungs seem to be doing just fine, my legs are paying the price. By the time I hit the cool down, I want to crawl the rest of the way home just to rest my poor shins.
I decided the concrete wasn’t doing me any favors, so I tried the treadmill in the basement this morning. On the plus side, the pain was lessened due to a cushier surface, and I could watch Law and Order.
On the other hand, I missed being outside, and now I have actual proof of just how slow I am. I did not need that MPH information just yet.
I really am trying to be positive about this. No one is making me do it. (Although believe me, if I hadn’t posted it here—and on Facebook, and told everyone at work what I was doing—I would have quit days ago.)
I am still somewhat doubtful that I will actually be able to run the entire 5K, but the program is working so far. We’ll see . . .
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to find some Advil.
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