Did I Leave You Hanging?

Ah, I'm sorry. I probably owe you all an update after leaving you all hanging on Saturday afternoon. I think as running becomes more and more a part of my life, it becomes more difficult to remember to get on here and tell you all what's up. Plus, you've all been so wonderful in answering my questions and sharing your own insights, I feel like I'm so very close to knowing everything.

Okay, maybe not.

Maybe I'm just lazy. That's more like it.

So yeah, big day Saturday. As you probably read, I completed Week 5, Day 3 of Couch to 5K. The day's plan read like this: 5-minute warmup, then jog for 20 minutes with no walking.

Uh, hellooo! That's an awful big jump up from Day 2's 8-minute jogs and 5-minute walks. Yikes for sure. Too bad I did it anyway!

WHEEEEE!

I was going to say I've never felt a bigger feeling of accomplishment, but I know the day I ran for 5 minutes straight was a pretty huge deal for me, too. But still, the 20-minute run might just take the cake. We're talking bigger than graduating college, folks. I didn't have to work very hard for that. This was hard.

But oddly, it wasn't as hard as I anticipated months ago when I peeked at the C25K Weeks and Days to come and found that first 20-minute run creeping up on me. A few posts ago, I talked about how 8 minutes may have been the threshold I needed to conquer in order to do these long runs. I thought, perhaps, that after 8 or so minutes of running, nothing could hurt worse and my breathing couldn't get more difficult. I think I was right.

My co-worker asked me today if I felt like I could've kept running after the 20 minutes was up. (This is the same co-worker who is kicking my butt in the endurance factor. He also felt similarly about the "threshold theory.") While I certainly didn't want to keep running on Saturday and didn't think twice about the option during or after my run, I'm fairly confident I could have kept going if I tried. I was tired and thirsty and my gum was pooping out on me, but if I pulled over for a quick sip at the water fountain, I totally could have gone another quarter or half mile ... maybe.

I think I'll stay curious for a little while longer. Until Mr. C25K tells me to move on.

Speaking of C25K, I have sunny days ahead. This will be the first time I will not be repeating a Day of the program! And I'm pretty sure I will be going 1-for-1 for a while now. See, Week 5, Day 3 (the 20-minute jog) leads into Week 6, Day 1 (warmup 5 minutes, run 5 minutes, walk 3 minutes, run 8 minutes, walk 3 minutes, run 5 minutes). Wow, that one's complicated. But it's easier! Well, easier in that it's not longer runs -- just shorter walks. I've been saying for a long time now that I can stand to walk for shorter intervals. Looks like Mr. C25K finally agrees.

So, here's my plan: Continue to Week 6, Day 1, then straight on to Day 2, then straight on to Day 3 (a 25-minute run) --all this with the exception of my buddy runs, as necessary.

Wow.

Pretty sweet, folks! This is huge progress! After Week 6, everything's a long run with no walks. It's getting scary now!

So what should I do about two upcoming 5Ks? A friend of mine is getting me into the Who Dey 5K on her VIP status =) and I'll be doing the 101st Annual Thanksgiving Day Race on, you guessed it, Thanksgiving Day. Should I try a long run or plan for run/walk intervals? These courses are almost definitely not as flat as Armleder Park is (the scene of the 20-minute crime), and I am most definitely not conditioned for hills of any sort, sadly.

I know this is a few weeks away, but it's worth thinking about a little, right?

Oh, a few more things to mention about Saturday's run before I sign off:

• I hit a few big milestones during that run.
• It was my first time over 8 minutes.
• When Mr. C25K piped in and said "halfway," I may or may not have squealed a little, realizing that I just ran for 10 minutes.
• I passed the mile marker, which means I ran for a mile without stopping for the first time ever.
• I didn't look at the clock once until about 4 minutes from the end of the run.
• It didn't really get difficult until about 3 minutes from the end.
• The lack of anticipation during the 20-minute run was peaceful. I set out knowing that the first time I'd hear from Mr. C25K was when he said "halfway," then I wouldn't hear him again until I was finished.
• I started running, looked ahead of me and around the 1.9-mile loop and thought, "I'll probably run the whole way around. I just about did.
• This one's not related to Saturday, but I ran with Caitlin on Sunday and she did her first 8-minute runs and said, "That was awesome!" when we finished the first interval. You go girl! Day 3 is right around the corner!

Okay, that is all for now. I'm excited to see where I'm headed! How about you?

A Huge Step Up

Yay!

Yay!

Yay!

I just got back from my evening run--which happens to mark my third day in a row of running--and it was HUGE!

I just completed Week 5, Day 2 of Couch to 5K! (And I finished it without dying. That's important.)

Week 5, Day 2:
5-minute warm-up
Run for 8 minutes
Walk for 5 minutes
Run for 8 minutes
Cool down for 5 minutes

I ran for 8 minutes. Twice. Wheee! I knew I could do it after last Tuesday's "test" at the end of my 5-minute run. I went for a total of 8 minutes then and I knew I could do more.

I'm starting to understand why Week 5 makes such huge step-ups (from 5-minute runs to 8 minutes to 20 minutes). It's like once you've hit a certain number of minutes running, a little (or a lot) more doesn't really matter all that much. Nothing is going to hurt worse, your breathing isn't going to get more strained ... you're just going to get tired. Frankly, I can stay un-tired for 30 minutes and I think anyone can, really. (Assuming you're on a flat running path, at least.)

I still can't fathom being able to run for 20 or 30 minutes straight, though. I know I said it about Week 5, Day 1, but I think I'll be sitting on this Day for a long time before I get brave enough to try 20-minute intervals. I so wish there was an in-between. I'm afraid that I'll get impatient and wander off the plan again. Maybe I'll sit on this day until the Thanksgiving Day race and see what I want to do next.

Meh, too far in the future.

So, a quick review of this weekend ...

As I said, today was my third day in a row of running. I skipped a weekday workout last week to celebrate my "first 29th birthday," as my mother calls it. I figure it was a valid reason. Anyway, this weekend's weather was so nice and I had a big fat nothing planned, so I ran.

I joined Caitlin for another run at Miami Meadows on Saturday afternoon. This time, Caitlin brought her 11-month-old daughter and a side-by-side running stroller with her. This was Caitlin's first time out with the stroller and certainly my first encounter with trying to run with one. I volunteered to share the burden and we stuck with a Week 4 workout, considering the extra weight of the stroller and the horror stories I've heard about running with those things.

That was a smart move.

Those things are heavy! I can't even begin to imagine how people manage with two toddlers and/or young children strapped in. Whoa. Props to you who do it (John), you crazy people! Needless to say, we both got a good workout.

Sunday I tried a new running path at a park from my childhood. Short Park in Newtown (second one on the website) used to be a lot smaller than it is now. I played there when I was little, as did my mom and her friends. Now it's about twice the size and includes a 0.55-mile walk/run path.

The pictures on the website don't do it justice ... and I mean that in a bad way. It looks like a sad little abandoned park. Not the scary inner-city ones--just a sad one. There's a broken slide with caution tape wrapped around it, a sand volleyball court with no net and waist-high weeds, holey soccer nets, playground equipment from when I was little (or older), and a pretty nice set of basketball courts. Just sad.

I tried to take pictures, and totally thought I was, until I got home and realized that I forgot to take the running armband off my iPhone before snapping away. 1) It was really bright outside and you can't really see the screen that well anyway (since my brightness is turned down) and 2) I forgot the armband doesn't have a hole for the camera. I ended up with 6 pictures of blackness. Yeah. I'd promise some from next time I run there, but I don't think it will happen.

I ran well there, though. The path is flat with one short, steep uphill and a countering short, steep downhill to account for the elevation change.

So that's all for now. Super excited about my Week 5, Day 2 accomplishment. Wheee! Now it's time for dinner. Goodnight!

By the way, the front of my hips (hip flexors?) hurt. What's with that?