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!