Couch to 5k – Week 4

4

Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 2-1/2 minutes) Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)

Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 2-1/2 minutes) Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)

Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 2-1/2 minutes) Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)

 

Week 4 – Workout 1 (July 10, 2010)

• Total Time:  26:30
• Miles:  2.17
• Walked at 3.3 mph, jogged at 6.0 mph

I was dreading this workout.  I had mentally prepared myself to fail, which probably was not a good way to start.  But I have not been keeping up with this program as consistently as I should, so I’m not sure what I expected out of this workout.  It’s been 5 days since my last c25k run… and I considered quitting the program.  Maybe now’s not the best time for me to start something like this, but I really want to try to keep up with it.

I’m embarrassed to write this, but I must confess:  I paused the treadmill twice during this workout.  The first time was around minute 15.  I had run the first 3 minutes and first 5 minutes and began to walk, when I developed a bad cramp in my side.  The pain was so sharp, I paused the treadmill so I could get off and cool down for a few minutes.  Determined not to give up completely, I got back on and ran the next 3 minutes.  And then stopped again.  I needed to let my heart rate drop a bit and catch my breath before attempting the last 5 minutes.  It was a good thing I did… I struggled through those last 5 minutes, but did not stop.

I expected to feel really good after this workout, but I was in pain (in my side) and it took a long time to get my heart rate back down.  I ended up walking until I hit a total time of 45 minutes.  I did not enjoy this workout, which makes me wonder why I even plan to continue… but I think if I could keep up with it every other day like I did when I started, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.  And I did make it through all the running parts!

Week 4 – Workout 2 (July 12, 2010)

• Total Time:  26:30
• Miles:  2.18
• Walked at 3.3 mph, jogged at 6.0 mph

This run did go just a little bit easier.  I only had to stop once – I made it through the second 3 minute run before stopping.  I probably could have pushed through, but my heart was racing and I was struggling to catch my breath, so I stopped for a few minutes, then got back on for the last 5 minute run.

Lady Gaga got me through the first three minutes easy, and helped with the first five minute run.  Did I mention I’m going to see Lady Gaga in two weeks??  Good music definitely helps make the time fly.  I really struggled with the last five minutes, but I also spent half of it searching for a song to get me through.  I need to update my playlist!

Did you miss the first 3 weeks of my Couch to 5k training?

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Couch to 5k – Week 3

3

Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following: Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes) Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)

Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following: Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes) Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)

Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following: Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes) Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)

 

Week 3 – Workout 1 (June 15, 2010)

• Total Time:  23:00
• Miles:  1.68
• Walked at 3.3 mph, jogged at 6.0 mph

I planned to take a day off between every run.  But I was so motivated to start week 3 today I thought, why not?  I actually looked forward to this run all day today.  I can’t remember the last time I was actually excited to jump on the treadmill.

After the first set of a minute and a half and three minute run, I felt pretty good.  I was nervous about doubling the running time to 3 minutes.  It’s not I think 3 minutes is a long time to run – but I usually don’t run at 6.0 mph (usually closer to 5.5 mph), and I’ve been out of shape for awhile now.

I felt good until the last minute of the second 3 minute run.  It was like I suddenly lost my breath and my stamina.  Maybe it was mental.  But that last minute was rough.  I had a cramp in my side by the end of it… I probably didn’t drink enough water before the run.  But I’m glad I pushed through it.  It’s good to know that the first run of the week is always the worst.  This week is downhill from here!

Week 3 – Workout 2 (June 18, 2010)

• Total Time:  23:00
• Miles:  1.70
• Walked at 3.4 mph, jogged at 6.0 mph

I was worried about how this would go after skipping two days instead of one, but it wasn’t bad.  My feet were actually really sore yesterday so it was probably good that I took an extra rest day.  This was easier than workout 1 this week, but I was still pretty tired that last minute of the 3 min run.  I’m hoping the last run this week will go even better!

Sidetracked

On June 19, I ran outdoors with my sisters.  We had a nice run in the hot Texas heat, but it wore me out.  On June 20, we spent over 7 hours walking at the outlet stores.  By Monday my body needed a rest.  Unfortunately, that rest day turned into 6 rest days.  I walked twice, but I didn’t make it onto the treadmill.  Not because I was too tired all week, I just got too busy and my workouts were what I sacrificed.  But that is no excuse!

Today (June 27) I ran the week 3 training run.  I walked slowly for 25 minutes first while talking to my family on the phone before starting the training run.  It went pretty well, but I could tell the difference from not running for a week.  I made it through, but I was not prepared for the last 3 minute run.  I think I am going to do this run one more time before moving onto week 4.

Total time today was 50 minutes; 2.81 miles total; 1.66 miles training.  Walked at 3.3 mph, jogged at 6.0 mph.  I will get back on track this week!

July 3, 2010 – Week 3 run

I was not prepared to move onto week 4 yet, after another break from running, so I did the week three run for what was supposed to be the last time.  Until I realized how difficult it still was for me, which led me to do the week 3 workout just one more time:

July 5, 2010 – Week 3 – Workout 3

• Total Time:  23:00
• Miles:  1.68
• Walked at 3.3 mph, jogged at 6.0 mph

This one is still difficult, but I think I’m just going to have to move on and try week 4 next week.  This week has dragged on long enough!  I’m determined to keep up with my workouts and find time on Wednesday to get this run in.  I still find the last three minutes difficult.  The only difference was that this time, after the second 1.5 min run, I felt like the 1.5 min walk was long enough for me to cool down and feel better prepared for the last 3 min run.  It was still rough though, and I am dreading week 4, but I guess it’s time for me to get over any nerves and just give it a try!

Couch to 5k – Week 2

2

Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

 

Week 2 – Workout 1 (June 10, 2010)

• Total Time:  25:00
• Distance:  1.79 miles
• Walked at 3.3 mph, jogged at 6.0 mph

I wouldn’t have thought that this workout would be much different from last week’s, but it really was.  The minute and a half runs had me almost out of breath and sweating hard.  I can’t believe that in 8 weeks (??) I will be running that fast for an entire 30 minutes straight.

 

This run was going fine until minute 11, when something traumatic happened.  My iPod ran out of battery.  I’ve mentioned before, running is mental.  Without my iPod, that last 14 minutes felt much longer, but it did allow me to focus more on my running form and how I felt.  I started out thinking that the 2 minute walking breaks were too long.  I wanted to go, go, go.  By 15-16 minutes, I was grateful that I had those 2 minutes.

 

Overall I felt pretty good after this run.  I really didn’t travel farther distance-wise, but it felt like more of a challenge with the longer running stretches.  I’m looking forward to trying it again in 2 days – and hopefully it will continue to feel easier!

Week 2 – Workout 2 (June 12, 2010)

• Total Time:  25:00
• Distance:  1.82 miles
• Walked at 3.4 mph, jogged at 6.0 mph

It’s amazing that the same run was slightly easier the second time around – after only doing it once before.  This felt like a really good work out.  It was enough of a challenge that I was breathing heavy and felt tired in a good way by the end, but it wasn’t so hard that I was gasping for air or desperate to stop running by the end of each 90 seconds.  It was enough of a challenge, though, that I don’t think I will up the speed for the last run of week 2.

Week 2 – Workout 3 (June 14, 2010)

• Total Time:  25:00
• Distance:  1.84 miles
• Walked at 3.4 mph, jogged at 6.0 mph

This run felt pretty easy.  I thought about kicking up the speed a little bit, but kept it at a steady 6.0.  I felt tired by the end, but not so out of breath or exhausted.  I feel ready to take on week 3!

Couch to 5k – Week 1

I’ve really been struggling with my running lately.  I really try, but I seem to keep hurting myself.  If it’s not my left knee it’s my right ankle.  I think my biggest problem is that I try to do too much at one time.  I go through spurts where I run every day for a week, trying to top my time each day, and then wind up hurt and off the treadmill for a week.

I’m not ready to give up on running.  I would really love to run a 5k some day.  I’ve heard about the Couch to 5k program before, but I always thought it would be so boring – 9 weeks before you can actually run 5k??  Well if my problem is that I’m trying to do too much too fast, then maybe the Couch to 5k program could actually help to give me some discipline.  With only 3 workouts a week, it will force me into some rest days.  Plus, I’m less likely to get burned out and give up on the routine since it’s only 3 short workouts a week.

Week	Workout 1	Workout 2	Workout 3
1	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes

 

Week 1 – Workout 1  (June 4, 2010)

• Total Time:  25:00
• Miles:  1.73
• Walked at 3.3 mph, jogged at 6.0 mph

I honestly thought this was going to be too easy.  It looked like it was going to be too much walking and not enough running.  I upped my speed to 6.0 mph for a bit more of a challenge – normally I would run around 5.5-ish mph.  I was in for a surprise.  After more than a week off the treadmill, this actually did feel challenging.  I wasn’t exhausted by the end, and felt like I could have done more, but by 20 minutes my heart was going and I was actually glad that I was almost done.

Week 1 – Workout 2  (June 6, 2010)

• Total Time:  25:00
• Miles:  1.74
• walked at 3.3 mph, jogged at 6.0 mph

I was surprised by the difference between day 1 and today.  It really was easier on me.  After 25 minutes, I still wasn’t as tired as I was at 20 minutes two days ago.  I really could have done more – and I didn’t even feel like I needed to ice my knee or my ankle after my run today.  I feel ready to move on to week 2 (I want a new challenge), but I will stick with the program and will do one more week 1 workout first.

Week 1, Workout 3 (June 8, 2010)

• Total Time:  25:00
• Miles:  1.78
• warmed up at 3.3 mph, walked at 3.4 mph, jogged at 6.1 mph

I know I decided to do the C25k program because I didn’t want to push myself harder than I should be, but today’s workout was mental for me.  I needed to at least feel like I was challenging myself even slightly more than the last 2 runs, so I upped the speeds just slightly.  It didn’t make much of a difference in my overall distance, but at least I felt like I was pushing myself harder.  Plus, my goal is to run my first 5k in 30 minutes.  to do that I will need to run at 6.2 mph, so I need to push the speed a little.  I’ll go back to running 6.0 when I run Week 2′s first run.

Maybe it was mental, but I was tired after the first 20 minutes.  It wasn’t that my legs were giving out or I couldn’t catch my breath – I just wanted to stop.  My last 60 second run was tough – I was watching as I completed each 10 second interval until it was finished. 

Overall, I feel good – and ready to take on next week’s challenge!  Week 1 was good for building confidence, but as I look ahead at what’s coming, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to keep the same pace.  We will see how it goes on my next run!

Ginger Perfume

Tonight’s dinner was Chinese Tofu from The Front Burner.  I’ve only tried cooking with tofu once before so I knew it was going to be interesting.  I started with 1 cup of brown rice and the following spices + a little ginger root.

While the rice was cooking I whipped up the sauce and started on the tofu.  Pat stopped by the kitchen and commented on the small bowl of sauce.  He didn’t think it was going to be enough, and I wasn’t sure, so I added another 1/2 serving of the sauce to the bowl.  The original serving size would have been plenty.

I had no idea how long to cook the tofu, or what heat to cook it on.  I waited until it turned a little brown.

Since Casey’s recipe used frozen veggies, I decided mine would too.  It definitely made dinner a lot faster and saved on some clean up time!  I used a mix of all my favorite veggies – red, yellow and green bell pepper with onion.

After defrosting the veggies in the microwave, I mixed them into the tofu.

And then added the sauce mix.  The sauce definitely made the meal.  I substituted the sesame oil for peanut oil (I just couldn’t justify spending $10 on a tiny bottle at Kroger).  I also added a little extra brown sugar – I heart brown sugar.

I served the final product over brown rice.  It wasn’t used to the taste (or texture) of the tofu, but dinner was delicious!  Pat commented that ginger tastes like perfume.  But according to him, that’s not a bad thing   I liked the ginger, but I think he would have preferred more garlic than ginger – maybe I’ll try that next time.

For dessert we had green monsters.  Into the blender:

• 1 cup light vanilla soy milk
• 2 cups spinach
• 1 frozen banana
• 2 tbsp milled flaxseed
• 2 tbsp almond butter

I tried running again today.  I’ve been having a weird problem with my right ankle.  It doesn’t bother me when I’m actually running, but when I slow down to walk it starts to hurt.  It’s not a sharp pain, more of a cramp-like pain.  It goes away after awhile, and I can run a little more, but when I switch to a walk it suddenly starts to hurt again.  I ran for 17 min straight (1.55 miles) when I started because I knew that as soon as I stopped, I was going to feel the pain.  Has anyone else had similar problems?  It’s really annoying.