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.