My Running Revelation
It happens every year. And every year, a voice in the back of my mind says “there’s no way!” or “I’m not sure we’re ready!”
What am I talking about? The Week 5, Day 3 Couch to 5k running workout that moves us up to one 20 minute run after only previously doing a max of 8 minutes. I always see it as this huge obstacle and almost dread it as it looms; this year was no different.
But every year I do it (with no stopping), and when I’m done I’m proud and almost surprised that I was able to complete the run.
At this stage of my c25k training, I’m usually pretty good to go after about 8-10 minutes. I’m able to settle into a comfortable stride with good and productive form. This is confirmed by how my pace (according to RunKeeper gets faster every 5 minute segment).
I completed the 20 minute run on Saturday and it was the most muggy and humid day of the year so far. So gross outside! At first I could barely breath and thought “oh boy, this is going to be a rough workout!”, but it really wasn’t bad once I got going.
I come to this conclusion every year, so I thought I’d share this small bit of wisdom to anyone who reads this. Even if you don’t think you’re going very fast, it doesn’t matter. Just know that if you continue to push through, chances are it probably will get easier. So keep running!
P.S. BEP’s “I Gotta Feeling” is pretty much the perfect song to use for a warm-up or cool down walk. Great BPM pace for me. Same with Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger”, BEP’s “Let’s Get Retarded/It Started”, and Michael Jackson’s “Leave Me Alone”.
P.P.S. I had an old high school friend ask me about my podcasts on iTunes. I briefly shared with her that I had had trouble making my XML file iTunes compliant, so I abandoned all hope of getting it back on iTunes. Well, I’m trying again. Hopefully I can figure it out this time!
Similar Posts
Thanks for the inspiration. I am starting the c25k again tomorrow and I needed to hear that!
You're very welcome! Upbeat music combined with a positive attitude works wonders for me when it comes to running. I was a sprinter in high school. Nothing longer than 200m!
I so needed to hear this today. This mornings run (25min) sucked and I couldn't make it the whole way. I will remember this post on Thurs when I try again!
I don't know about anyone else, but my mind sort of wanders when I run (same deal when I try to read, lol), so I think that really helps time pass by on longer runs.
So glad to know someone else has this experience! I did my week 6 part 3, 25 minute run yesterday and thought I was going to die. I allowed myself to go as slow as possible (an 80 yr-old woman passed me on the beach) and by the last half of the run, I was picking up the pace. Eminem's Lose Yourself is my ultimate push through song.
Thanks for these podcasts Suze, they're great.
That's the run I'll be doing this Friday!
And I think a lot of people have the same issues we do. We psych ourselves out, but when we're done, our thoughts are a little different! I love that “wow, I did it!” feeling at the end of a long run!
Thanks so much for the advice, I'm into my fourth week now and I'm kind of dreading the longer runs. But it's so great to see an actual improvement in my running, I'm not breathing as hard and I can go harder for a longer period of time. Thanks so much for the podcasts!!