Judebert

Thanks to the FCAT, my training schedule is all messed up. Rather than MWF, I'm running TRS, so I have time to drive kids to school after a good breakfast.

Tuesday, I was out an hour early. I saw three deer! One ran away from me early in my run; the other two watched me warily from a distance as I went around the Oviedo rec center.

Today was the big problem. 10/3 intervals. The Couch to 5K program only has 2 runs, but I went for the whole 5K as usual. Trouble is, my internal dialog keeps sabotaging me.

Me: Surely it's been 10 minutes now.
Myself: No, my Palm will beep after 10 minutes. That's about 1/4 of the course; that'd be the corner with the big road.
Me: I can't possibly run that far!
Myself: Yes I can. I ran 15 minutes straight last Friday, remember?
Me: Yeah, but I hadn't eaten all that fatty food the day before. There's no way! Let's just stop at the next corner.
Myself: (After I reach the corner) See? I made it! I can make it to the next corner!
Me: I see what you're doing. It won't work! I can't possibly make it to the next corner!
Myself: Yes I can. Nothing is failing! My lungs are working: I'm not getting light-headed. Feet are okay, just a few twinges. The knee is a little tight, but no big deal. Ankles are good, legs aren't anywhere near exhaustion, no chest pains... I could keep going forever!
Me: Surely it's been 10 minutes now.

So far, I've been able to hold myself off. But today, after I completed the second 10-minute run, I was feeling even more tired than usual. I convinced myself to stop at the stop sign outside my house, and walk the rest of the way as my cool-down.

This is not unusual... but I stopped at the sign on the other side of the street. It's only 10 yards or so, but... I failed my Will check. Which anybody who knows me will tell you is unusual, since I'm the stubbornest bastard on the block.

I'm going to watch my diet a little closer and try to avoid temptation. If this is what it leads to, I don't need it!

Judebert

Today I tried Week 5, Day 3 of the Couch to 5K program. With its 20 minutes of uninterrupted running, I was both excited and intimidated.

I complete my 5K course, regardless of the time or distance specified by the program. So far, I've just extended the intervals to cover my length. Today, since there was no walking interval, I set my timers with a 5 minute walk before the second 20 minute run. Since my times are around 38 minutes, I didn't expect to use the entire second run, of course.

The temperature was 37F outside, so I wore my sweatpants, jacket, and gloves. (My hands get cold easily.) As I passed my house on my figure-eight route, I tossed the jacket in the driveway. Not too long thereafter, the timer beeped and I reveled in the feeling of completing 20 minutes of running. I could have gone farther!

Five minutes later, I started running the rest of the way. The slight hill on the way home tested my resolve, but I somehow worked through it. I stopped all the timers, only to find that I had still taken 38 minutes. And oddly, the second 20-minute timer still had 7 minutes left.

Let's see, two 5-minute walks (warmup and interval) is 10 minutes; plus 20 minutes of running is 30 minutes; plus 13 more minutes is 43 minutes. Something wasn't adding up.

Double-checking my timers, I found that my first run was only 15 minutes. My elation had been unwarranted.

So what to do now? Week 6, Day 1 starts with 5 minute / 3 minute intervals; I don't think I need to repeat Week 5. I'll just wait for W6D3's 25 minute run for the big celebration!

Judebert

Yes, today I tried Week 5, Day 2 of the Couch to 5K running plan. That's running for 8 minutes, walking for 5 minutes.

The actual plan only wants you to do 16 minutes of running altogether: you warm up (5 minutes), run for 8, walk for 5, run for 8, and you're done. I'm trying to cover 5K of sidewalk; I continue the intervals after the program is over. So I had 3 running intervals, for a total of 24 minutes of running.

That makes Friday's workout a lot less intimidating: 20 minutes of non-stop running.

Of course, my "running" pace is pretty pathetic. I'm not even sure you could call it "jogging". It's no wonder I could go for 8 minutes at a time. Still, my shin muscles are really sore, and I'm sweating a lot, so I'm accomplishing something.

Today's run was chilly, with fierce winds. My warm-up -- walking -- was insufficient to keep me warm in shorts and a t-shirt. Luckily, I had brought gloves to take care of my always-freezing hands. Although the running warmed me up well, I struggled with a minor cold: I was constantly breathing up phlegm.

Here's hoping I'm healthier for Friday's 20 minute run!

Judebert

It's been a while, hasn't it? Well, let's see...

I finished all of Week 4, but I didn't do any strength training.

For my birthday that weekend, I got Wii Fit Plus. I also got a new TV, and the Wii isn't hooked up yet. No strength training.

The next week was unusual, with kids having weird school schedules. I had to drive during my regularly scheduled workouts, so I only got one run in. I was scared of Week 5, so I just reused Week 4's workout.

Yesterday I did Week 5 Day 1. It's alternating 5 minute / 3 minute intervals. Of course, I finish 5K of distance, even though the program only wants 3.2K. It was oddly tiring: I never felt like I was going to collapse, but I kept wanting to stop my 5-minute running interval early. Apparently it's a mental thing. I fought past it; I managed a 38-minute 5K. Not my best, but not bad either!

And I've got some chest congestion. It's not severe, and I don't think it'll keep me from running tomorrow!

Judebert

This morning, to almost no-one's surprise, I skipped my strength workout.

Seriously, yesterday's Week 4 - Day 1 run from the Couch to 5K training regimen nearly killed me. What's the big idea, jumping straight from 3 minutes to 5 minutes? Holy cow.

This morning when I woke up, I was still tired. And my right foot and leg were quite sore. I decided I needed a full day of rest, as opposed to a day of stressing something else.

Plus, my full-time job has become urgent. I'm lucky to get the time to write this; it's only possible because my hard drive is near 100% utilization doing four different updates simultaneously!