Do the Couch to 5k running plan

How Goes It

Day 2: Let me begin by saying it was a beautiful fall day. Cool crisp air and smells of burnt firewood tickled my nose. The cold air, however, was a harsh reminder about how I forgot to use my inhaler before the run, so towards the middle, I tasted something like blood in my throat. I don’t think it’s really blood, but it takes me back to last year when I learned that that was the indication about my asthma acting up. I managed to not only finish my run but tack on an extra two minutes; however, by the time I reached home, I was almost gasping. Good timing. So lesson here is… REMEMBER MY INHALER!!!

Day 3: I get sniffly at mile 1 – does this happen to anyone? I’m glad I brought a towel with me, because boy did I use it. The run was easy cheesy… Nothing to report; I just savored the moments during my last day in this program. YEAH!

Thoughts While Running

People using their phones while “walking” their dogs are so friggin inconsiderate! Not only are they not paying attention to others’ safety around their dog, but they’re not giving their pup their time. It’s sad. And it pisses me off.

I mentioned this before, but boy does this program make you skinny! I finally reached my first goal weight when I ran this on Sunday. Unbelievable.

Conditions

68° F, Sunny

How Goes It

I notice that after a bad run, I get nervous – anxious even! – about the next one. I wasn’t exactly enthusiastic at first, but it turned out okay, even though there were a few challenges:

1. Different workout time. I’m a creature of habit, so running this during the weekday a.m. instead of the afternoon really did a number on me. On the upside, there were a whole lot less cars zip around and a whole lot less dogs. Not a bad thing!
2. I was exhausted. I slept pretty well last night but my legs felt like lead in the beginning. I wonder if it has something to do with the calf workouts yesterday?
3. I ate too soon before my run. Between morning house duties and shipping my man off to work, mornings are hectic. I stuffed two little bran muffins 40 minutes before the run, when I should have been done eating exactly an hour before. Therefore, I felt my breakfast come up a couple of times. Ewwww….
4. It was pretty hot. Not to mention humid from the coastal fog! I completely forgot about the upcoming Santa Ana winds. It wasn’t 90 degrees this morning, it still wasn’t exactly cool at 72 plus humidity.
5. Hectic preparation. I have a specific routine I go through to prep my mind for the run and this morning it wasn’t what I’m used to. Hence, I was a bit scatterbrained when I started out.
6. Stresses. I got interrupted during my run with some real important life-changing news and decisions to make ASAP. Normally running is complementary to hard workouts but… it was information overload, even though I’m glad to hear about it in the middle. It just messed with my focus a bit.

The run (30 min + two 10 min intervals = 50 min total) ended up a success despite these challenges! I’m a bit sad that this program will come to a close, but I’m pretty excited about the One Hour Runner program at the same time.

Thoughts While Running

It would be great – really really great! – if like at mile 2, someone was there to hand me an ice cream on a sweet sugar cone. Not sure why I thought of that but I do know I was craving it about then.

Conditions

72°F, Sunny

How Goes It

Some days I hate running and today is one of those days.

While people around the world are comfortably pounding rubber to pavement in deliciously crisp weather, I have to endure 90 degree weather in the middle of [insert string of words unfit for children, ladies and the elderly here] October here in Los Angeles – and I even live at the beach! Yikes. The heat waves makes me wonder if it has something to do with ozone depletion (global warming). I think I’ll recycle some plastic water bottles just in case.

Needless to say, I could not run effectively, as I was overheating a couple of miles in and had to stop the run at 27:11 and .04 miles short of 3 miles. Gasping for breaths, I hung my head low as I walked home in shame. Grr.

“So then run early in the morning,” you say.

I reply, “Excellent suggestion, if the mercury were not bubbling at that time of day as well!”

So much for celebrating my 90th consecutive day of exercise with a super duper awesome workout. Hmph.

Thoughts While Running

I had none, for my mind was burning from the friggin heat!

Conditions

How Goes It

30:07 min run + 5 min walk break + 10 min run + 5 min walk break

I was really nervous doing making up last Tuesday’s run yesterday, because I already ran yesterday. I think at one point in the beginning my legs felt sore and tired, but after mile #2 everything seemed to pan out and became a more automated process… And in the process, accidently ran FASTER and FARTHER than I intended!

Obviously, I was nervous over nothing. :)

It’s so weird to be so comfortable running for 30+ min straight, but it’s more weird to see how skinny running is making my body. I don’t think there is a coincidence with how quickly my weight dropped after I started this program! No wonder super runners are always rail thin.

This week I coincide Week 9 with the One Hour Runner program. I’m super excited!

Thoughts While Running

Fall must be the BEST season ever to run in. Falling leaves, ghosts, goblins and scarecrows hanging out in people’s front lawns and big orange pumpkins – such a festive time of year!

Eating a couple of Fiber One apple and cinnamon muffins 1 hr before the run makes a HUGE difference. Mmmm!

Conditions

66° F, Sunny, Windy

How Goes It

I can run a 5k without stopping!!!!!!!!!!!

Today I ran 30:07 minutes (3.18 miles) + 5 min walking break + Week 6 Day 2 for a total of 50:07 min ran – PIECE OF (fat free, low cal) CAKE, which surprised me since I did a killer leg workout yesterday.

Even though I started running 30 min before ascending on Week 9, I’m going to finish the program anyway before checking it off. I’m also considering coinciding Week 9 with the first week of the One Hour Runner program. Hmmmmm things to think about.

Thoughts While Running

It is SO nice to finally run in fall weather. Since we’re expecting rain, it was super overcast which means I didn’t have to armor my body with a thick layer of sunblock.

Conditions

63° F, Overcast

How Goes It

Run 32:16 + 5 min break + Run 10:00 + 3 min break + Run 10:00 min

3.41 miles + 1.02 mies + 1:09 miles = 5.52 miles

I ran for 32:16 minutes straight! I actually didn’t mean to… My playlist was cut short (user error) at 22:51 and desperate to continue on, I replayed the playlist and roughly calculated 28 min. Doing any calculations while experiencing runner’s high, by the way, never works (at least for me), so I outlandishly under-guesstimated it by 4+ minutes. Oops! But I did do it and I’m SO happy! 3.41 miles during that first leg, yeah!

As for the Week 6 Day 2 I added at the end, I wasn’t sure if I could belt out those ten minute intervals – at one point I considered just doing Day 1 but after 5 minutes I said “Why not?” I pushed. And pushed. And can finally say that I did it! Makes up for the downer on Tuesday’s run (or lack thereof), that’s for sure.

Thoughts While Running

Running around dinner time is just as good as running on a weekend morning. Taking in all the delicious smells is like putting a carrot in front of me! I could probably run for miles chasing a casserole dish.

Conditions

73° F, Sunny

How Goes It

Ok, all this talk about fall weather arriving on the cusp of October is dog doodoo because it was 90°F. 90 DEGREES!!!!!! At 4 pm!!!!!!!! WTF?? Living at the beach also offered no reprieve; if there was the slightest bit of wind (scarcely), it was the kind that blasts your face when you open the oven door at 400°F. Yeeeeeah. (Can you already tell how this entry is going to go?)

Consequently, I had to cut my run short at 24:31 which I am not happy about, but had to stop because symptoms of heatstroke were setting in. I think I got the hint when I started getting confused. Darn summer coming in fashionably late!

After splashing some cold water over my head and walking for a few minutes, I tried running towards the direction of home, but lasted only 3:30. Needless to say, I failed today. Darn summer. (Oh sorry, I said that already)

After checking the heavily inaccurate but handy weather.com, I decided to try running again tomorrow at 9 am, as it’s supposed to be just a “mere” 70°F (eyeroll) as opposed to the 74°F predicted later at 4 pm. A jump outside in my skivvies tomorrow morning will help me decide on that… Otherwise I’ll make it up on Sunday.

But for now, I’m not going to sweat it. (pun intended!)

Oh and before I forget, there was one bright side to this, and that is the fact that I’m now running 9 min miles regularly (versus 10). Great news, though fully unintentional!

Thoughts While Running

You know you’re sweating excessively when you consider asking someone who is watering their lawn to splash you with some of that H2O.

At one point, I was screaming in my head “chicken! chicken! chicken!” while running up a hill. I’m not sure where that came from, but it could be connected to heatstroke, as that was the last thing I remembered thinking before being forced to stop.

Conditions

90° F, Sunny (you don’t even know half of it)

How Goes It

I think this running thing is mostly mental. It was a breeze on Thursday, but I got this wacky notion in my head on Saturday that I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to complete it, much less the 10 min interval runs I like to tack on it at the end. The hills also seemed bigger, until I decided to lower my head and look just past my feet as I climbed. Doing so suddenly gave me not a burst of power, but more like extra energy to sustain the burn of it. Surprised at this new technique, I continued to use it over and over on every hill/hard area I encountered and realized that doing so kept me in the moment. Cool deal!

I ended up kinda sorta racing a blonde girl. I paced her for awhile until the distance closed between us to an uncomfortable point, at which time I went on to the street to let her have the entire sidewalk (new asphalt is softer anyway). What amazed me was that 1) I am actually faster than someone! and 2) That used to be me. All this racing seem to do so much for me, for when I went home and calculated time and distance, it turned out that I ran 8:53 min miles!

And speaking of the 8:53 min miles… Holy cow. How did I increase my speed all of a sudden? I wonder if it has to do with the sprints I’ve been running during the off days… Or the strength training?

My endurance is off the charts for this week. I can’t believe it! After the first big run, my mind was whining about how tired I was, but after putting the mind jibber jabber aside, I knew that I actually had energy left to do more. Wow!

After a 5 min walking break, I pumped out Week 6 Day 2 running intervals. Wasn’t the easiest, but it was at least so that I can see – and taste! – One Hour Runner in the horizon. :)

Thoughts While Running

Pancakes, waffles, coffee, toast, eggs… Running on weekend mornings means catching wisps of fragrant breakfasts floating out of the windows of different houses. Mmm!

Conditions

63° F, Overcast

How Goes It

I congratulate myself not because I was able to easily manage another 25 in straight run (or rather the 27:40 again because of my iPod playlist), but because I did it while carrying a 17 fl oz bottled water on my back! The small bit of weight was annoying, but somehow I got over it because I also managed to run faster (9 min/mile, according to my calculations). Of course, I have to credit the last part to this guy I saw also running and I kinda raced with. Good practice for a future 5k, yes?

It’s also amazing to me that I felt like I could run even more after the 27:40, but I didn’t. Instead, I took a 5 min walking break and polished the run off by repeating Week 6 Day 2 runs, for a total of 47:40 minutes ran.

I find it interesting that I suddenly can do these runs easily. I wonder if it has to do with active recovery program I do between running days instead of full-blown cardio?

Thoughts While Running

The weather here in LA is still pretty hot (and getting hotter). I can’t wait to run during cooler weather…

I can’t believe how scared and frustrated I used to be with all the hills. They’re like nothing but bumps in the road to me now!

Daylight savings time is coming up. Run at night? I don’t think so. I may need to change my running time.

Conditions

72° F, Sunny

How Goes It

Since this is a 25 min straight run, I decided to go with my own music versus the podcast. I couldn’t match my music up to exactly 25 minutes, but I was definitely very proud of myself for completing the 27:40 it took to do my entire playlist!

After completing that, I took a 5 minute walking break and repeated Week 6 Day 2 for a total run of 47:40. I initially planned on doing Week 6 Day 1, but it felt so good after five minutes that I decided to go for the full ten.

I am, however, paying for the consequences of pushing out a big run yesterday because my calves are in PAIN today! I’m not too bothered by it though, I shall wear it like a badge of honor. :)

Thoughts While Running

I saw the cutest little Beagle EVER yesterday. If I wasn’t in the process of completing the very last ten minutes of the run, I would have snaked that cute little smiling dude.

Conditions

70° F, Sunny