Do the Couch to 5k running plan

I completed the program last summer and it was great. I lost a lot of weight and felt great. After I finished the program, however, I slacked off. It was hard for me to stick to running without a plan and a specific goal, and then winter came, which didn’t help. So…this week I started again from the beginning. Today will be week 1 day 3.

So I haven’t ran since my last entry, which was a month ago. I was out with cold/flu for over two weeks and am better now but haven’t gotten back into the habit. It was near 80 degrees the last time I ran and now it’s below freezing. I need to go pick up some tights or spandex to wear under my clothes. Not sure how running in the cold is going to be. I plan to start up again tomorrow. I just have to get out of this funk I have been in. Have to…

I did run this today and it seemed pretty easy, which is good. It means I haven’t regressed too far. It was hard the first time around. As long as I’m out running, that’s all that matters. I was afraid I wouldn’t stick to it on my own after the plan and I was right. I did run, but I would let 3 or 4 days go between runs. I need a strict plan and accountability in order to stick to it. It will be into winter by the time I finish this now. That will give me some time to figure out something else I can stick to.

I have decided to put this one back on my list. I completed it over a month ago and have sort of kept up on running, but not consistantly enough. I haven’t ran in a week and the last time I did a mile seemed like a struggle, though I know it’s more a mental thing. I am going to start back up at week five since I know I can do that comfortably. I miss having the routine…..(looking back at my posts i guess it was almost 2 months ago that I finished)

3 day ago, but I haven’t had a chance to write. I still haven’t figured out what I am going to do exactly for a running plan. I haven’t found one that I like. I think I will just make up my own and see how it goes. I think I will mix long and short runs and work up to a 10k. I decided to do a short run today 2.5 miles. It was beautiful out, only 64 degrees. Good luck to everyone else! This was such a fun goal to work on.

So, one more week left. I feel really accomplished to be nearing the end, yet kind of sad to not have the plan to follow and this goal to comment on. I think I am going to continue to just add a quarter mile per week until I get up to a 10K. All the other plans I have looked at involve working on speed. Since I don’t plan on entering any events until next spring, at least, I am not too interested in this at this point. I’m kind of worried about what to do during a Minnesota winter too. I am not worried about the tempurature, since last winter I still walked my dog on the days it was above zero. It’s the slippery ice that worries me. I have a gym membership, so a treadmill is always an option, but I love running outside so much more. I guess I just have to believe in myself to keep it up. I never thought I would finish it. I could barely run a block when I started. Now every ‘run day’ I get these butterflies, excited and nervous. It really is amazing how much it has done for my self esteem. I never thought a 5k was possible for ME, but now I know it is. This has become such a positve part of my life :)

Everything is going well. Only 4 more runs left to go. I still have no idea what I will be doing after that. I’m kind of scared I will backslide without a specific plan to follow.

With my new nike+ ipod, I decided to try something new and run for distance instead of time. I liked it this way better. I actually ran 2.5 miles in 23 min 20 seconds instead of the 25 minutes, so it was a little shorter run than last time. I’m not at all running for speed right now, but it made me feel pretty good. I thought I was running a lot slower than I was. My nike+ told me my average was 9.18min mile. I also got a congratulations from Tiger Woods on my fastest mile :)

I wasn’t 30 seconds into my run when I was monkeying with my ipod, missed a cracked in the side walk and wiped out. I felt so stupid. Who falls on a sidewalk jogging? Anyway, I finished the run even though I could see my knee was all scraped and bloody. It didn’t really seem to hurt until I got home and walked up the steps.

This run seemed like it was never going to end. The only thing that was really bothering me was my face felt really really hot towards the end. But it always seems worth it when I’m finished. Such a good feeling. I can’t believe how well this program works! I could barely run a block 6 weeks ago.