Do the Couch-to-5k running plan at half speed

We had a little oasis of good weather in between stretches of rain and snow, so I rearranged my schedule to take advantage of it. I haven’t done any substantial exercise since December, if I am recalling correctly, and I was a little nervous to see how much endurance I had lost. Fortunately, it wasn’t as bad as I feared. I was able to run for about 2-3 minute intervals. It took me 2 months to get to that point when I first started the program last year at this time. So I’m relieved that my body seems to have retained some of its capacity for exercise even after a few months of inactivity.

It felt good, too. I will look forward to taking this up regularly again. I expect to work up to 5k by the end of the summer, if nothing goes wrong. I’d figure on doing it earlier, except that I’ll be missing 5 weeks for my big roadtrip, so the end of the summer is a reasonable goal.

...to get started on this again. I’ve been itching for nicer weather so I can get out on the trails again. I’m not at all motivated to go back to the indoor track. I’m really surprised that this is something I’m looking forward to, but I am. I should be able to go some time within the next two weeks.

I need it, too! I’ve gained a few pounds over the winter. I’ll have to start over at the beginning, but I don’t mind. I’ll take it as slowly as I need to.

Due to a combination of circumstances, including a lecture from my cardiologist and a crazy busy schedule, this one is on hold. :( I am disappointed, but starting in March, when I have some free time again, I will execute a new plan. I will start over at week one, even though I am capable of doing more (cardiologist’s orders). I will accompany my couch-to-5k running plan hand-in-hand with other aerobic exercise and not push myself in the slightest (again, cardiologist’s orders). I am disappointed by this, because my motivation for this goal came mainly as a result of challenging myself and seeing results. Sigh.

I also need to get an evaluation for exercise-induced asthma and hopefully get an inhaler. This, too, will have to wait until at least March, which is another reason for me to move slowly at the beginning. The only silver lining to this is that by the time I start attaining some distance again, it will be spring, and I can get back outside, instead of going around that dull, dull track or using a dull, dull treadmill.

Due mostly to the colder weather (thus nowhere to run until I joined a fitness center with a track) and a bout of bronchitis, I haven’t been running for over a month. Last week I did a warm-up run, and this week I jumped back in at approximately week three. I look forward to getting back to a mile.

Ok, so I probably shouldn’t have pushed it, based on the experience I had the last time I went running, but I went again today, and felt pretty good, so I tried for a mile, and I made it! That’s about 10% longer than I’ve been able to go (without walking) prior to today. I didn’t have any heart trouble, just a slight tingling in my hands, and then just a bit of mild coughing/wheezing when I got back home. I think based on today I will continue to exercise tentatively, backing off if I have any more serious symptoms.

For the record, I have improved 2600% since I began.

I increased the amount of time I could run before I need to rest by about half a minute, and I didn’t have any asthma coughing afterward. However, I did have to sit down on the pavement at one point so I didn’t pass out. After that, my hands were tingly. I guess I pushed too hard. I seem to intentionally forget that I have a sub-par heart valve. Clearly my circulation wasn’t adequate. I made an appointment with my cardiologist, just in case, but it won’t be until January. I’m not sure if I should call it a season and give up until spring (if my doctor allows) or if I should continue at a milder pace.

I’m up to being able to run for 10 minutes without stopping to walk. (Just barely!) However, I’m running pretty slowly. On the couch-to-5k plan, it says I should be able to make it one mile in 10 minutes, but I’m making it about .8 mile. At this point, should I continue to work on increasing the number of minutes I can run, or should I focus on speeding up in those 10 minutes so that I make it to one mile?

A man who looked to be in his late 70’s and not all that athletic passed me at about twice my speed today.

On a positive note, I ran traveled about 3/4 mile in about 9 minutes, my longest time and distance so far.

I only had a little trouble with my “asthma cough” today, I think because it was a little bit warmer outside. I made another leap, and now I’m doing times/distances on Week 5 of the couch-to-5k plan – about 7-8 minutes of jogging at a time with a few minutes of walking in between.

I swear I never thought I’d make it this far, and then to have such large leaps after such slow progress (and long periods of inactivity) is just amazing to me. It’s like at some point my body just adjusted to maintaining a constant slow jog speed and no longer needed much walking to recover. No pain anywhere either. It’s encouraging.

The gods are against me.