I'm still "running." I officially finished week 5 of the "Couch-to-5k" program. That means I am more than half-way done. Today was not a good day, though. For the most part I have finished my running for the day feeling invigorated and energized and all those other positive words running fanatics use to describe why they run. Today I felt like I was hit by a freakin' truck. I was dreading this day for a while. On the schedule was a 5 minute brisk warm-up walk followed by 20 minutes of continuous running. I did it--however slowly--but I did it, and I hated every flippin' minute of it. In fact, it's been over 12 hours since said run was complete and I feel pain everywhere. It took a few hours for the nausea to subside, and my arms don't feel like jell-o as much as they did this morning.
The funny thing about this program is that it assumes you're running a 10 minute mile!!!! So it states: "Run 20 minutes (2 miles) without walking." Guess how far I got in 20 minutes? 1.25 miles!!!! Yeah I know I run slow--My friend Danni walks faster than I run--I'm not ashamed to admit it. I'm a fatty, and although I'm not okay with that I am okay with my slower-than-tar-on-a-winters-day pace because at least I am doing something active. So anyway, I have decided that since the point of my doing this program is to actually complete a 5k (preferably in jogging mode) I am going to watch my distance rather than time...So all you mathmaticians tell me how long I had to "run" to get to my 2 mile goal...No! Nevermind! You don't need to tell me! I lived it. It was a LONG time!
Who runs a 10 minute mile, by the way? I mean, the whole program is all about taking a sedentary person (hence the "couch" part) and work them up to a 5k! How in the Hades am I supposed to be running a 10 minute mile? Let's be honest, even in the best of times the quickest I ever ran a mile was 11:42 and I was in the 7th grade. I've had quite a few Big Macs and Double-doubles since then, so it shouldn't surprise me that I am significantly slower, but truth be told, it can be a little disheartening.
Onward and upward, though. I may be one of the last people to cross that finish line in 3 weeks, and I may have to puke a time or two, but I will finish and I will "run" it. Cause the skinny girl inside of me in screaming to get out...luckily I've managed to shut her up by stuffing donuts down my throat, but that's a story for another day...
