C25K Week Five

I hit a turning point during the fifth week of the C25K program. I think I'm actually turning into a runner.

The first workout this week consisted of three 5-minute run intervals separated by 3-minute walks. This was actually less running than the week before, so it felt almost easy. I was getting tired during the third interval until I got a second wind at the end of it. I felt like I could have run farther, but I'm sticking to the training program so I don't accidentally injure myself.

c25k week5, day 1

There were a bunch of other positives about my first run this week, too. Hills didn't seem nearly as hard or terrifying, and I ran up several of them without wanting to die. Recovery after the run was really quick; I was able to shower and run some errands instead of sitting on the couch for an hour. I also spent most of the next day fighting off the desire to go for another run. Like I said, I'm sticking to the training program to avoid injury and exhaustion. But the fact that I wanted to go for a run has me pretty optimisitc about this whole thing.

The second workout consisted of two 8-minute runs separated by a 5-minute walk. This is the same amount of running/walking as week four, but fewer breaks meant that I needed more endurance. And to my surprise, this run was practically easy. I'm not sure if I'm establishing a rhythm or just learning to enjoy myself more, but running for 8 minutes was actually easier than running for 5 minutes. I got a little short of breath towards the end, but I didn't get bored. Which is huge for me. And the 5 minute walk in the middle actually felt a bit long. I was ready to run again after 3 minutes.

c25k week 5, day 2. I think I'm getting better at maintaining a consistent pace

My pace was slowed down dramatically on the second 8-minute interval, but I'm just happy that I was able to keep running. And that I actually picked up my pace a bit at the end. A lot of that is directly related to whether I was running uphill or downhill, but needing to slow down is way better than needing to stop altogether.

The third run this week was the real challenge. It was a simple 20 minute run, and from what I've seen around the web it's the hardest part of the entire challenge. As I said in the last post, I went into it mostly curious to see if I could so the entire 20 minute run. And I very nearly did. At about 19 minutes, my body just gave up. But I think it was more of a mental block than anything else. As soon as I was walking instead of running I felt fine. If I hadn't hit a big hill in that final minute, I really think I could have completed that run.

Even though I walked for the final minute, I still maintained an overall 11 minute/mile pace for the twenty minutes. For the part I was actually running, it was closer to a 10:30 minute/mile pace. Which is far better than I ever dreamed I could do. Those 10-minute miles that seemed impossible a year ago are beginning to feel like they're within my reach.

I didn't finish that 20 minute run, but I'm still going to move on to week 6 next week. The first two workouts go back to intervals, and I'm positive I can do it now. Then it's just about lengthening the amount of time I can consistently run for. 5K, here I come!