Do the Couch to 5k running plan

I added this goal in August, when I figured I would do it every week and be done by October. Well, it’s October now, and I haven’t exactly taken off like a rocket. I’m still on week one. It’s getting very cold out now, and I don’t think that it’s a good idea to start running around outside in sub-zero temperatures come next month. And I’m not confident enough to go to a gym to go running (I would rather exercise in solitude, thanks). I don’t exactly want to give up on this, though. So I’m not sure what’s going to happen with this. I’ll give it some thought.

So last week I was determined to get back to a running schedule, so I started over again at week one. And there was one good thing about it. I didn’t hate it. I mean, sure, I didn’t like it, but I didn’t hate it, so that looks like progress to me.

One BAD thing that happened was that I tripped on a piece of concrete and hurt my foot so bad that I was limping for a week. So that wasn’t a good start back to the running plan. But I’m trying to start up again, again tomorrow. Twenty-five minutes. In the middle of rehearsals and gearing up for my brother’s wedding. You wouldn’t think cramming in less than a half-hour would be so difficult, would you?

I wanted to have a great start to this goal, but despite my best intentions, I didn’t do any outdoor exercise at all during week two. Well, that’s not really true: I did five outdoor concerts in three days, which is part of the reason I wasn’t able to do any running: those shows wore me out. But there was a little bit of laziness involved too, so I can’t pretend it was all legitimate.

It sucks, I know. But I’m going to try and get back on the horse: go for a Week One-equivalent run either today after work or tomorrow. I figure as long as I get in the exersise BEFORE I perform, I might actually be able to find the motivation within myself. Maybe.

And I think I will be measuring my success on this task in two ways:

1. Number of times I repeat weeks because moving on is too hard (hopefully this will go down), and
2. Number of times I curse, loudly, before and during the runs (hopefully this will also go down).

Yeah. I really, really, REALLY hate exercising; physical exertion is very low on my list of things I would like to do. But I’m overweight and out of shape, and “I was just lazy” isn’t a great excuse for developing heart disease or diabetes. So yeah.

One week down, and I hate it. But I’ve been fairly successful; 60 seconds of running, 90 seconds of brisk walking, repeat. It sucks, but I have podcasts I can listen to while I’m out, so it makes the time go by faster. Which is all I can ask for right now: not to enjoy it, just to have it not drag on into eternity.