This was really tough. I knew it would be, and I was a little afraid I wouldn't be able to do this. The routine this week nearly doubles the amount of time running overall, from nine minutes to sixteen out of thirty. Yikes! It's good to kick it up to the next level on a Sunday, when I can optimize this - a good night's sleep, wake naturally, drink coffee and wake up thoroughly, before venturing into exercise. Even so, I decided last night I might need another inducement to do this, so I picked something from a catalog to reward myself with, after completing what I had to do. Not workout clothes, though I may eventually need to get something different for running. But a nice top I had been thinking about, a cotton and cashmere knit sweater jacket on sale.
Yeah, I did it. Yeah, it was really hard. Probably, if I hadn't been telling everyone in the world I'm going to run this 5K, I wouldn't have finished it. Let's never underestimate the power of public humiliation.
This week, there are three minute runs and five minute runs. The first three minute one was fine - in fact, it even felt good while I was doing it. I wasn't staring at the clock waiting for it to be over, at least. I was able to look ahead and listen to the music, and feel like my body was working fine. The five minute runs, however, were hard to get through. I decided I was would allow myself to drop the speed from the 5.5 mph I had been doing to whatever it took to get me through. On the first five minute run, for the last minute I dropped down to 5.3 mph. And on the second, I dropped first to 5.3 mph (about half way through) finally to 4.8 mph for the last ninety seconds. Oddly, my heart rate was ok - in the low one-fifties - but I felt I was out of breath. Gasping like a fish. Little things began to hurt. My foot, my knee, the sweat dripping into my eyes was stinging. Then, serendiptiously, the music shuffled on the ipod to something that allowed me to match the pace and get through the last minute. I allowed the music (a nothing but pleasant pop song I picked up from my girl) to carry my feet, my hands, and my heart and lungs forward for the last minute. But my finger was pressing the speed control the second I hit the mark to slow down.
I kept going to complete the whole 5k, and after catching my breath, I sped up the walk to 3.7 mph. I haven't walked that fast very much, but a tip at the gym about swinging my arms out a lot (bent arms with fists like a runner) has helped me maintain a faster pace more comfortably. This kept my heart rate around 130 for the balance of the time. This in total was a lot faster than last week, not surprisingly with twice as much running and a faster walk. I hit 2.0 miles at 26 minutes, and my 30 minute Couch-to-5K stats are averaging 4.3 mph and 14 mpm. Much faster than before. I finished the 5K at 44:27, for an average of 4.2 mph and 14.3 minutes per mile. (Last week the 5K took 47 minutes.) I did a small amount of stretching / yoga postures afterwards, but no other workout.
I'm a little nervous about how well I'll do at 5:30 am on Tuesday. But now I've proved I can do this. If I need to, I'll drop the pace, but keep at least a jog going for all the prescribed times. The point is to finish, not to go fast. And, if I want to, I can repeat this week's routine for longer than a week. I am fifteen weeks out from the road race I'm signed up for, and in week four of a nine-week routine, so I have time.
I also think I should do more of a cardio workout on the four days a week I'm not doing this running routine. I'm going to the gym, and sometimes (not every day) strolling around at lunch time or after work. But I'm thinking a brisk walk in the evenings would be really worthwhile. After reading Bossypants by Tina Fey I started streaming 30 Rock from NetFlix, and 22 minutes at more than a stroll (I'm thinking my 3.7 mph walk to get the heart rate above 80%) with the iPad on the treadmill streaming the show, might be a useful cardio add. Not likely to do it every day, but any at all is good.
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