Success!

It's been a long time since I have sat down to write anything about my progress towards my 5k goal. Somewhere along the line, I got so focused on the exercise that I stopped sitting down to write about it! The great news is, I made it! I set out to run my normal program but just sort of kept going, and the result was my very first uninterrupted 5k run.

The couch to 5k program intervals showed me how I like to run - what intervals let me push hard and have fun - so I took this information and built my own routine instead of continuing with the prescribed sessions.

I've spent the last month or so pushing myself through shorter rests and more intervals, but not running longer than 3 or 4 minutes at a stretch. I was intimidated by the longer intervals so I avoided them, opting for running faster instead.

When I laced up my shoes this week, however, I just kept going. I was shocked to hit a 10 minute interval on a whim. So the next time I went out, I just decided to go for it. I think what kept me going was the app I have been using. Hearing the minutes and kilometers tick away kept me pushing, especially at the end when I started getting winded and tired.

Since that first 5k run, I have done it twice more. Last night's run was the best. I kept pushing myself to slowly increase my pace. Every time the app notified me of my pacing, I pushed myself to up my rate. The result was a consistent but slightly increasing pace that I capped off with a tiny sprint at the end.

To celebrate, I purchased myself a little present - a sleeve to keep my ipod on my forearm. This will keep me from dropping the ipod, something I have been scared of doing from the beginning. It will also free up my hands to hold weights! I have been wanting to run with arm weights but the adjustable wrist weights I purchased years ago are way too large for my wrist! Hopefully I can get a bit more out of my runs by building upper body muscle too.

The Week in Review

I took this last week pretty easy, mostly walking rather than doing my couch to 5k sessions, though I did get a few nighttime runs in as well. The week 4 sessions still feel very difficult to me, but I am surprised that I get into a good rhythm and am able to keep going. It's my lungs that hold me back, so I need to see what I can do about boosting my cardiovascular fitness.

The weather is really shaping up (finally) so Oliver and I spent the day out on the town! A nice walk to Seattle Center and the Belltown Dog Park, followed by Pike Place Market and a nice snack at Macrina before walking back home.

I am hoping to try out hot yoga tomorrow, so we'll see how that goes. I think it might kill me, but it's worth a try at least once :)

Night Off

Woo, I am tired and taking a night off. A bit sore from my very long walk after my run last night. Just going to enjoy a lazy night in. I was pretty bad today, I think Selene is right - no more cupcakes for a while! Well, I've been pretty good lately, so I deserved a splurge :)

I've made it through a few of the week 4 sessions, 2 of them to be exact. They're definitely an endurance challenge for me. The 5 minute segments are difficult and I am completely exhausted by the end of each workout.

I've been alternating between the week 4 and week 3 sessions, and I think it's working. The week 3 sessions allow me to push my speed and the week 4 sessions force me to push my endurance. I'm nervous about pushing beyond week 4, but that's next week's problem.

Status Update!

My quest to complete the couch to 5k program is going well. I feel that I have recovered from my months off this spring, and I am confidently completing the week 3 sessions. Having learned from my injury, I am taking a mandatory day off after every workout.

I also feel that I am actually jogging now. The first time around - before the injury - I was completing a jogging-type motion but at a very low speed. It was more like speed walking than running. My goal was just to get my body used to the jogging movement and begin to work the muscles correctly.

I am a bit nervous about progressing to the week 4 regimine. It involves 5 minute stretches of running. I may require an extra cycle through week 3. I can feel myself getting stronger and faster on these intervals and I'm not sure I am ready to move on yet.

I will give the week 4 regimine a try tonight though, and hopefully the rain will subside a bit before I go out. Poor Oliver and his mop feet will have to stay home tonight!

The Virtues of Breaking Patterns

New Lesson: Mix it up!

Yesterday I went for a bit of a drive to Magnolia in an attempt to find Discovery Park, a place I have never been. I got a bit lost on the way, and decided to settle for a nice run along scenic Magnolia Drive. It's a really beautiful  part of Seattle - nice houses and a gorgeous view of the Sound. I set off through the neighborhood, alternating between the gentle slope of Magnolia Drive and the sharper climb of the side streets.

Partway through the routine, I decided that the week 1 routine was just a bit too easy. The running intervals were so short that they felt over before they'd ever begun. So I switched to the week 2 plan, and just as the second warm-up section was concluding I realized I had actually parked something like 6 blocks from the park's South entrance.

I wound up having a really nice run for two reasons. First, I was completely unfamiliar with the route so I had no idea what was coming up. I had to take whatever trail was before me and make it work. This lead me to a few unpleasant intervals of unexpected uphill running, but the end result was a more challenging workout than usual. Second, it was just nice to run in Discovery Park - it's very natural and unkept so it was the opposite of running down Aurora as I normally do. The change of scenery and variety of terrain made for a really lovely run. By the end I was far more exhausted than usual, and quite warm in the face! 

So that's where I am now - I have jumped ahead a little bit, back to week 2 of the training plan. The week 1 plan was making me feel more positive, but I think the week 2 program will push me harder without breaking me. I guess this week will tell!

Couch to 5K Reboot

I took this week to assess my overall fitness level. My injury put me out of training for 3 weeks followed by a month and a half of steady overtime. This basically puts me back at the beginning in terms of fitness, which is both demoralizing and encouraging.

While it's depressing to realize I will need to spend a good 3 weeks essentially re-leveling it does show me how far I had come from my starting fitness level. My cardiovascular endurance took the biggest hit, and today I rolled back to the Week 1 plan and pushed myself much harder than usual (too hard in fact, as I gave myself some pretty brutal cramps early on). 

This was absolutely the right thing to do. Instead of sluggishly jogging through a tougher program, I pushed through the easiest intervals at a pretty significant pace for me. I was finally enjoying myself again and it felt incredible to find the right pace. My ankle does hurt a bit so I probably overdid it by doing a double session, but I have learned from my previous mistakes and I am icing it while I write this entry.

I have also discovered quite a few things that I think will help me build and keep a good healthy routine. In no particular order:

Good running shoes are worth every stinking penny.

Run in two sports bras. Really. I did this tonight and it was the most amazing difference. It's a lot easier to enjoy yourself without pain!

Don't overdo it. You know, like I just did (again).

Don't be afraid to progress slowly. It's better than no progress at all.

Learn where you break and ice it before it hurts. Ice it when it hurts. Ice it after it hurts.

Stretch well and don't forget that running uses your upper body and core muscles as well as legs.

Plans and Goals:

Instead of running 3 times per week I am going to run 4 times a week. One of these runs will be a Week 1 or Week 2 session. This will allow me to track my improvement with a consistent baseline. I think this will be a nice break each week and also good encouragement.

I found a pretty good basic circuit routine, too: the sidewalk on the East side of Aurora is much flatter and safer, so I can walk up to Galer Street and climb the overpass during my warm-up (stairs, bonus!). Then I can run uninterrupted by lights and intersections all the way across the bridge to Freemont. The pedestrian underpass takes me right back to the Western side, and I wind up back home. 

Running with my iPod on shuffle was amazing. I discovered unexpected inspirational music had been hiding in here all along! I am going to give this a try once a week just to see what I can find that works well. I am also going to build out a good playlist from these discoveries so I don't have to skip so many songs.

Listening to the right song at the right point in time is amazing. Shameful, shameful pop music with just the right beat is great. I admit that I mostly danced my way back across the bridge and it was probably a terrible sight. But I had an awesome time doing it, Oliver smiles when I am happy, and it was pretty dark so I don't think the passing cars noticed. Now that I am starting to figure out the right BPM for my different segments I am going to investigate some options for playlists there as well. Nothing keeps me on track as well as the right song!

Figure out what the hell I need to eat to have enough energy and protein to be healthy while I am active. I am having an extremely hard time getting a substantial amount of protein and vitamins without going crazy overboard on calories (protein) or sugars (damn you fruit for being so delicious!).

Resume Training

I finally got off my couch and resumed training last night! I've been trying to talk myself into it for a week now, and I wish I had started sooner.

Previously I was on week 3 and feeling great. The 3 minute jogging segments weren't too bad until the end of each workout and I felt like I was making real progress.

I attempted to resume where I left off, and was disappointed to feel winded right away. I had to scale back to the week 2 training regimen to make it, and even then I felt soreness in my legs during the last few intervals. This could be due in part to the fact that I did stairs in the middle, but I definitely felt a degradation in my general fitness level. I may not have noticed the progress I was making, but I certainly notice its absence now.

I am hoping to get back on week 3 within a week's time, but I don't know if I will make that. Previously I was running more than 3 times per week, and that might have accelerated my progress, even though it did result in my injury as well.