Finishing up week 1 and starting week 2

I finished Week 1, days 2 and 3 last week.  They were both a little brutal, especially day 3 on Sunday.  It was in the mid to high 80's, and the higher heat did a number on me.  I had to collapse in a heap and get a cool washcloth for my head as soon as I walked through the door.  In many ways, I think week one is probably one of the very hardest weeks of this program.  It's all about getting out of the rut of inactivity and getting into the mindset that I am indeed the kind of person that can get herself out there three days a week and jog.  My legs were sore, heavy, and tight throughout the week, and I was plagued with some insecurities as I ran.

I started week 2 today, and it felt great.  Apparently, the extra 30 seconds in the walking segment more than made up for the extra 30 seconds of jogging.  Somehow alternating 1:30 of jogging with 2:00 of walking felt so much better than switching between 1:00 of jogging and 1:30 of walking.  I'm looking forward to getting out there again Friday!  In just a week, I'm noticing that my legs feel looser and lighter, and I don't seem to mind seeing other "real" joggers out there.  I'm happy to be doing my thing.

C25K Week 1, Day 1 take two

My pace is so laughably slow. I'm sure power walkers and joggers running backward could easily pass me by, but the slow pace meant no side stitches, no light headedness, and a successful outing. My legs were still in recovery from my first outing so they were pretty sore and tired right from the start, but I could feel them loosening up as I worked my way through the session.

I tinkered with my playlist and have a great group of songs that keep me thinking a little more about the music I'm listening to rather than just waiting to hear that voice say, "walk." "Going to Georgia" by The Mountain Goats kicked in at just the right time when walking was sounding so good:

When John Darnielle screams, "I have two big hands and a heart pumping blood and a 1967 Colt .45 with a busted safety catch," I can't help but keep moving.

Week 1, Day 1

In 2007, I successfully made my way through the Couch to 5K program. I've never ever been an athlete. In fact, I've spent most of my life in varying degrees of overweighted and out of shapedness. There were a lot of ups and downs during that first encounter with Couch to 5K, but I eventually made it to Week 9, D3. After much joy and celebration I never ran another day in my life :)

Now I'm five years older and more than a few pounds heavier, but I'm ready to do it again. I'll mainly use this blog to post my highs and lows through the Cto5K program, but this will also be a space for me to talk about my overall health and fitness. I've recently started a Zumba class, and I've been weighing myself weekly in the hopes of gradually losing a little weight.  All of that will find it's way to these pages.

So, week 1, day 1. If I had any doubts about just how out of shape I am, they were erased with this first outing. My side started aching during the second 60 second stretch of jogging, and I started to get lightheaded shortly after that. I won't give myself credit for successfully completing a day of the program if I have to walk during any of the jogging sections, and I ended up walking the last 60 second stretch of jogging so this first day will have to repeated my next time out. I'm okay with that and confident a retake of day one will be a success.

I've also discovered the iPhone app for Couch to 5K, and I can tell from just one outing that it's going to make a huge difference.  The first time around, I had to make all of my own very specific playlists all timed out to the exact right length of songs so I'd know when to switch from jogging to walking.  With the app, I can just make a kick-ass playlist of all the songs I'm in the mood for, and the magic voice on my phone will tell me when to job. Thanks you iPhone.