I have been dreading this week ever since I started couch to 5k a few weeks ago. Up to this point, the running had been at most a combined 9 minutes over a total workout of 28 minutes. I would sometimes throw an extra minute or two of running in there because I felt weird walking for 8 minutes at the end of a workout in week 3, but overall the amount of time walking was much longer than the amount of time jogging. Another advantage to the first three weeks is that the walking legs are equal to or even greater than the jog that just proceeded it.
In week 4 both of these things change and it feels a little like you are being thrown into the deep end after slowly building a little momentum. The total for jogging in week 4 is now 16 minutes - two legs each of 3 minutes and two legs each of 5 minutes. Two weeks ago I wasn't even sure I could run for 3 minutes straight and suddenly I needed to run for 5 minutes, twice. For me the walking legs were actually a harder change because now they were half of the previous jog, so the 3 minute legs were followed by 1.5 minutes of walk and the 3 minute legs were followed by 2.5 minutes. The total jog time to walk time is now 16 minutes of jogging to 15 minutes of walking, including the warmup and cool down.
And I did it, I made it completely through all four jogging sessions. I almost didn't completely the last 5 minute session because evidently I cannot add (it started at 21:30 and I decided it should have ended at 25:30) but I never stopped until prompted and I even tried to sprint the last 30 seconds of the run - although that was in part to keep Lucy from going after a scent as opposed to running with me.
I truly felt fantastic after the run and my times showed it. I was back below 14:30 for my total average including a 7 minute cool down period and my fastest mile was 13:45, the second fastest I've had since I started the program. The improved feeling and pace were definitely needed as I really struggled during the week 3 workouts and I was starting to worry that I was going to fail at this. I'm now more than a 3rd of the way through the program and I'm starting to notice improvement in my poster and my movement.
This next week will be interesting now that school is out. I may end up getting up earlier and just going by myself or with Lucy because my almost 7 year old has swim team in the AM and it's not fair to force him to run/bike a couple of miles and then throw him in the pool to do laps for an hour. Above all yesterday's run reminded me that this really is a long journey and to keep following the program - I know it works and I'm starting to see the difference.
A note about the picture - for 4 or 5 runs in a row we would come across turtles walking own the side walk or the paths in my neighborhood. The last one we came across (and gave a wide space to) was this snapper turtle who looked like she was building a nest. Our neighborhood backs into a park and in the last year alone we have come across foxes, snakes, deer, and even a coyote on walks - I'm sure running by a snapper will not be last animal that means I have to do a little course correction.
And I did it, I made it completely through all four jogging sessions. I almost didn't completely the last 5 minute session because evidently I cannot add (it started at 21:30 and I decided it should have ended at 25:30) but I never stopped until prompted and I even tried to sprint the last 30 seconds of the run - although that was in part to keep Lucy from going after a scent as opposed to running with me.
I truly felt fantastic after the run and my times showed it. I was back below 14:30 for my total average including a 7 minute cool down period and my fastest mile was 13:45, the second fastest I've had since I started the program. The improved feeling and pace were definitely needed as I really struggled during the week 3 workouts and I was starting to worry that I was going to fail at this. I'm now more than a 3rd of the way through the program and I'm starting to notice improvement in my poster and my movement.
This next week will be interesting now that school is out. I may end up getting up earlier and just going by myself or with Lucy because my almost 7 year old has swim team in the AM and it's not fair to force him to run/bike a couple of miles and then throw him in the pool to do laps for an hour. Above all yesterday's run reminded me that this really is a long journey and to keep following the program - I know it works and I'm starting to see the difference.
A note about the picture - for 4 or 5 runs in a row we would come across turtles walking own the side walk or the paths in my neighborhood. The last one we came across (and gave a wide space to) was this snapper turtle who looked like she was building a nest. Our neighborhood backs into a park and in the last year alone we have come across foxes, snakes, deer, and even a coyote on walks - I'm sure running by a snapper will not be last animal that means I have to do a little course correction.
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