Couch to 5K, Week 1

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." -Chinese proverb

This week I took my first steps towards being able to run a 5K. I'm following the Couch to 5K program, which alternates running and walking to build up endurance. After starting out with a 5 minute brisk walk to warm up, week one alternates 1 minute of running (or slow jogging in my case) with 1 1/2 minutes of walking. After eight run/walk cycles, then a five minute cool down, I was done!

I've never been a runner, in fact I didn't even like to play tag when I was a kid. So training for a 5K is a completely new experience for me. Couch to 5K is a nine week program, running three times per week, so by the end of the summer I should be able to run 5K.

I've learned a few things already:
I really enjoy being out by myself, at my pace, without keeping track of kids! Usually when we take a walk, some kids are ahead, some kids are behind, and I'm somewhere in the middle.

I listen to a podcast by Robert Ullrey with music to energize me. He gives encouragement along the way and tells me when to run and when to walk. About halfway through the Week 1 podcast, he says something like you should be feeling the effects of your running, but not be out of breath, and I thought, "Really, because I'm sucking wind here!" But in the end, I ran every single one minute segment this week.

The smallest hills can be brutal.

Run on the opposite side of the street from where dogs were nipping at my butt (literally!) as I ran past.

Friday morning was 46 degrees with a chilly wind. I was still sweaty and red-faced when I finished for the day.

For more information on the Couch to 5K program, check out these websites:

Cool Running

c25k