I did it! The couch to 5k is complete! Here I am pushing towards the finish line. We need a new camera. Whatever, I am so glad I did it. As you can see I did not come in last. I also got my best time ever, not sure what it was exactly, but less than 30 minutes. Nathan ran his first race today, too.
Jog 28 minutes with no walking
This was a rough week. I kept my time at 28 minutes, and generally felt like I’d hit a limit. Can I get any better than this at running? Still not running 5k on my runs, I’m up to about 4.6k in 28 minutes.
I now know how far 5k is. My goal is to run 5k or 30 minutes, whichever comes first, each day next week, with the hope that 5k will come first! My race (click here to donate) is September 30, just 9 days away. The race is the The Eighth Annual 5K “Run for Someone Else’s Life” Roadrace, and looke like there will be some sort of celebration after the race, in case you want to come along.
Update: I did it! I finally ran 5k, and did it in about 29:55. I’ll be happy if I can do the same thing at the race next Saturday.
Jog 25 minutes with no walking
9/1: All went smoothly today. I ran a route that was easier to figure out on the map. So I ran 2 1/3 miles this morning, or 3.77 kilometer. That’s a bit closer to 5k than I’d feared. I was also totally wiped out after the run, after I’d got home and showered I felt sort of weird and faint – some water an big bowl of peanut butter bumpers made me feel better. Now my body is craving a big serving of Peanut Chicken with brown rice, I suspect it will be an early lunch today.
9/4: I got my first real cramp, in my ribs on the right side. I was able to run through it, though. Lot’s of college students are back in town, running past me.
9/6: I loved my run this morning. I did two loops of Western Avenue to JFK around the river, so it’s an easily measurable distance. 2.6 miles or 4 kilometers! I’m almost there! I ate two fried egg sandwiches and half a mango when I got home and I’m still hungry.
Friday: Jog 5 minutes, Walk 3 minutes, Jog 8 minutes, Walk 3 minutes, Jog 5 minutes
8/25: My first experience jogging in the rain. It didn’t start raining heavily until I was almost done. Can’t say I loved it, seems like I might have the chance to try it out again on Monday.
Monday: Jog 10 minutes, Walk 3 minutes, Jog 10 minutes
8/28: I savored my last walking break listening to a Yo La Tengo song. The psychological difference between looking straight ahead while running rather than staring at the ground right in front of me struck me while crossing the Western Avenue bridge. I am tempted to go into all sorts of surfer-philosophy based on this realization.
Wednesday: Jog 25 minutes with no walking
8/30: I made it through today’s record breaking 25 minute run. I actually ran an extra minute. I had an all Clash mix today, but I couldn’t remember what the last song was. As a result when the iPod finished and started over with ‘London Calling’ again, I wasn’t sure if I’d heard that. All of those songs are so familiar anyway. When I heard “Phony beatlemania has bitten the dust’ I remembered that I had definitely heard this song 25 minutes ago. Mind like steel trap, I’m telling ya. I wound up with a long walk home Because I wasn’t sure when to stop. By the time I got home Lisa was starting to get worried about me.
It’s all jogging from here on out. it’s hard not to notice that I am the slowest runner out there. Also I have yet to run 5k. I am so going to be last in that race. I have to remember that I’m racing myself, and I can’t really lose in that situation, as long as I finish the course.
I’m sure you’re thinking - will the ‘frickin’ running updates never end?’ If you sponsor my race for $100 and leave a note saying “No more running updates!” I’ll stop. How’s that for a deal?
Friday: Jog 5 minutes, Walk 3 minutes, Jog 5 minutes, Walk 3 minutes, Jog 5 minutes.
I’ve started using playlists on the iPod instead of my recorded timing. So it was five minute song, three minute song, five minute song, etc. I just change what I am doing when the song ends. I’ll be doing this from here on out.
Monday: Jog 8 minutes, Walk 5 minutes, Jog 8 minutes
I had a great run this morning. I say it was a great run because I felt good during and after the run. What are the conditions that cause that good feeling to arise? Or should I just be happy when it happens without getting attached? One result of a good run freaks me out: There were free breakfast pastries to welcome us to our new office, and when I saw them I was like “Nah, I think I’ll have some of that pineapple instead.” What’s happening to me?
Wednesday: Jog 20 minutes with no walking (!)
I did it! I used a Charles River running map to verify it was about 2 miles. That’s only 3.2k, so my race will be longer. If I run the race at the same pace as today, I will finish in 31 minutes. The world record for 5k is a little under 15 minutes, so it’s unlikely that I will break the world record.
OK, before the weekly running update, I have big news: I have registered for the Samaritan’s of Boston 5k Roadrace held on the banks of the Charles river in Brighton on September 30. It’s a also a charity race, so I encourage you to sponsor my run - it’s the ideal way to really increase the pressure on me to actually run. I’ve been reading up on Samaritan’s and it’s a really great non-religious (I was surprised to learn that based on their name) volunteer organization, focussed on suicide prevention.
But how the heck am I going to run 5k? To someone who until recently had never run for longer than 1 minute at a stretch, this is pretty scary. But some how my running practice is building up on me, and with a little persistence I’m confident I can do it.
This week’s routine: Jog 3 minutes, Walk 90 seconds, Jog 5 minutes, Walk 2-1/2 minutes, Jog 3 minutes, Walk 90 seconds, Jog 5 minutes.
8/12 + 8/14: I jogged around my in-law’s subdivision in a former corn field near Neenah, Wisconsin. the 5 minute jogs were doable but hard enough for me to wonder how the 20 minute jog coming up in 8 days is going to work.
8/16: I noticed the distance I travel during the run is increasing. Which makes sense as the running to walking ration increases. Living in fear of next Wednesday’s 2 mile jog with no walking breaks.
This week’s routine: Two repetitions of the following: Jog 90 seconds, Walk 90 seconds, Jog 3 minutes, Walk 3 minutes
8/4: I don’t think I could have run for three minutes at a stretch two weeks ago. I know, pretty sad, but 3 minutes is a long time! Not really a problem today, I really appreciate this baby steps approach. The cool weather is nice, too.
8/7: I dreamt that the alarm hadn’t worked and I was missing my morning run for 30 minutes before waking. Expressing my pleasure through anxiety is a lesson from Buddhism 101. I’m wiped out by today’s run. I should drink more water and less Shiraz on nights before I run.
8/9: Lisa walked my usual route with nathan and figured out that I jay walk across Memorial Drive on my jogs. She should be a detective. there are these giant gaps int he traffic though, I can’t stand wating for traffic lights when I should be me running.
Next week’s schedule sounds much more challenging than this weeks, I hope I’m up for it.
(excerpt from Ben’s Running page)
For those of you not following along on Ben’s Running Page here’s an update on my progress.
This week’s routine: Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.
7/28: Jogging for slightly longer stretches wasn’t difficult this morning, but I’m wiped out 3 hours later. This running business has me thinking about things like maybe I should get more sleep, not be such a caffeine junkie and eat healthier lunches. Weird.
7/31: I hate waiting for the walk light crossing JFK. I sort of jog back and forth on 30 feet of side walk while I wait. So annoying though. Also annoying: The big fat guy who leaned out the window of an SUV to yell “HEY! YOU’RE GAY!!” I heard him giving the same good news to another runner about 100 feet ahead of me.
8/2: Hottest day of the year. Definitely not as many runners out this morning as usual. It wasn’t that hot at 6:30 yet though, so I can’t say I noticed a difference - was dripping with sweat as usual. I wound up jogging in my bathing suit b/c of a lack of shorts. Worked fine. The only real challenge was getting “Mambo Italiano” stuck in my head somehow. It’s still there. It’s -a so delisha, everybody can capice.