C25K

I decided to start running.  Yes.  It was spur of the moment.  Yes.  It was a little ridiculous, at first.  Yes.  I hate it still.

See...everyone I know thats "taken up running" has become a life-long fan of it and declares it the greatest stress relieving exercise since slicing bread.  ha ha ha.

Plus...what if there ever WAS a zombie invasion?  Us non-runners are doomed.  We're the meal as the runners leave us in their dust.  Not exactly how I want to go...

Anywho...I've never liked to run.  Ever.  Not even in 9th grade when we'd do the "short run" through the neighborhoods...meandering through the local homesteads as a pack of teenagers...I think our gym teacher loved to torture us that way...and I especially hated the "long run" that took us double the length. 

But...since I'm still on this get healthy kick and will be for quite some time I decided it was time to figure out if running was going to be a long-term part of my repertoire of exercises.

So...three and 1/2 weeks ago I just up and started running following the C25K program.  Its designed to get a person up off the couch to a 5k in 9 weeks.  I figured I could do this program and then I'd know if running is my thing.

So...I just finished week 3 and I'm redoing it.  I'm redoing week 3 because I had a bad cold last week and running with congestion is a bit of a joke so I'm hoping I can improve my time/distance this week by redoing this one week. Plus...week 4 is scaring the bejeebees out of me right now...

Week three is 5 minutes of brisk warm up walking followed by two sets of 90 seconds run then 90 seconds walk then 3 minutes run and 3 minutes walk with another 5 minute cool down walk.  Adding that all up its about a total of 30 minutes of exercising.  I usually add more walk/cool down time...partly to get all the way back home and partly to stretch my muscles out. 

I do this 3 times per week.  On the days inbetween my friend and I run lightpole sprints on the "short run" that I do around here.  Can you hear my gym teacher cackling that I'm doing a short run all on my own?

Week four is crazy.  Its 3 minutes running 90 seconds walk then 5 minutes running and 2.5 minutes walk...repeated twice with warmup and cool down walks on each end.

I still don't love running, but I'm getting an appreciation for the accomplishment of actually doing it.  Like every time I finish a 3 minute section of a run.  Holy cow...thats more sustained running then I've done in years.  GO ME.

Plus I've signed up for a "virtual 5K" run during the week of halloween...meaning on my own I plot out and run 3.1 miles and time myself to see how I do them log it on the virtual 5K site.

So...I'm encouraging you to check out the C25K running program and get off your couch and RUN.  Here is the link to it...

http://www.c25k.com/ - this site explains the program some...the actual running program is on Cool Running and can be found here:  http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml

Do you hate me now?  Have I made you feel guilty?  Well, if not...just remember YOU are going to be the zombie meal while I'm hightailing it out of town on my feet.  :)