Couch to 5K Week 5
I’ve made it all the way to Week 5 of the Couch to 5K running program and haven’t left a single update on how it’s going. Seriously, what a slacker.
Surprisingly, I’ve found the first workout of Week 5 to be one of the easiest and I think I may be getting a hang of this running stuff. It was only three intervals of running for five minutes with a break of three minutes in between. It may not sound like much, but to a former anti-runner it’s a great accomplishment.
I’ve switched from using Robert Ullrey’s podcasts to the First Day to 5K podcasts by Podrunner (DJ Beatsmith). Other than a quick introduction, the Podrunner podcasts are straight music. There’s no voice telling you to start or stop running, just a simple chime.
By using the podcasts without the voiceover, I think it helps me to stop counting down how much time I have left in each interval. Instead, I just run. Of course, I still try to calculate how much longer I have in each interval, but I put my Ipod face-down on the machine so I can’t see where I’m at. I also cover the clock on the treadmill with a towel to help me focus on running and less on time.
Tomorrow I start the second workout of Week 5 where I’ll be running two intervals of eight minutes with 5-minute breaks in between. I’m confident that I’ll be able to get through it, without peeking at the clock and thinking that I’m about to have a heart attack. It’s exciting that each week has seemed easier and easier, which is definitely not the mindset I came into the program with.
Hopefully, I won’t be so much of a slacker and come back with some updates that are more than five weeks apart. Until then, goodnight!
