Tag: C25K

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I Have Finished Couch to 5K

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Well, sort of finished it anyway. The app I’m using goes by time, not distance. So what I’ve actually finished is Couch to 30 Min of Jogging. I’m slow, and can’t finish a whole 5K in those 30 min. But- darn it – I’m still super proud of this accomplishment. Since the final session in the program, I’ve been trying to work my way up to jogging for the full 5K distance. The last jog I did, I went for 34 min. Let me tell you, there were days along the journey that I didn’t think I’d ever be able to jog non-stop for 30 min, let alone more.

At 34 minutes I still didn’t quite hit 5K (3.1 miles), but I’m getting close. When I use various apps or my fitness watch thing I usually start them going as I begin my warm up 5 min walk, and I don’t turn them off until I get home, so that includes 10 or so min of cool down walking as well. Some of the programs are easier to separate the walking from the running than others. My pace varies between 11 and 12 min/mile, usually about 11:30ish (I told you I was slow). So I figure if I can jog for 36 min I should be hitting the 5K by then. I suppose one of these outings I should wait to start tracking as I actually begin jogging, and stop when I start my cool down for a better, or at least more precise measurement.

I’ve been reading articles on advice for newer runners who have just finished C25K about what to do next to continue their training. Most advise against just running your 30 min every other day and say you should vary your distance, your speed, etc. to continue to improve. I’ve tried following a couple audio type classes that do a sort of interval speed work to help get faster. It’s been a bit of a joke, because I’m really going the fastest I can right now, and any slower is a power walk – not a jog at all. I’m not sure an outside observer would be able to detect any difference in my ‘fast’ intervals vs. my ‘easy’ intervals. These classes like to talk about going at you’re ‘race pace’. I keep thinking, “My what now?”

Oh well. I have to start somewhere, right? I didn’t know for sure I could jog for 30 min straight. Maybe someday I will amaze myself again and have more than one pace.

I girl can dream.

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Thoughts on Couch to 5K Week 5 Day 3

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I’m back at the Couch to 5K program. I think it was the same day my surgeon gave me clearance to start exercising again, i went out for the first session. I was told to take things slow and gradually though, so I’ve been doing most sessions twice before moving on, thus turning the 9 week program into closer to 18 weeks. But that’s all fine.

I just finished week 5 day 3. For those familiar with the program, this is the first really big day with no walking breaks. 20 min of jogging. Giving up the walking intervals is intimidating. I was doing some reading about the program, and read that this is the most common spot that folks will quit. The reason I was reading about the program was that I found it strange that this particular session happened at this point in the program, because week 6 day 1, the next scheduled session, has walking breaks back in again. Why would they do that, I wondered? Once you can do a run with no breaks, why go back?

My jogging trail. Photo by Kara Hartz

I don’t have an authoritative answer, but the most common theory I came across it one I think I agree with. I was very nervous going into the week 5 day 3 run. I was worried I wouldn’t make it all the way to the end. Because I’m taking things slow though, I figured I would just try again if I didn’t make it. At the same time, I really didn’t want to have to do it all over again, so I planned to try my best to get through. After that, I’d get my breaks back and I could go along happily. That, in a nutshell, is the theory about why they schedule it the way they do. If the walking breaks ended, and looking ahead at the rest of the program I saw that there would never be any walking breaks ever, my nervousness would have been much worse. I might have decided to stay at week 5 day 2 indefinitely, or until I felt ‘ready’ to move on. I might have quit.

It seems to be a psychological hurdle more, or at as much as, a physical one. Believing you can do it, and that it’ll be okay is one of the main challenges of week 5 day 3. Knowing you just have to get through the one time, and you’ll get walking breaks again helps with the mental battle you have to deal with. Really, the walking breaks don’t last much longer. By week 6 day 3, they are gone for good. They last just long enough to let you know you can do a jog without breaks and you’ll do fine, so when the walks are gone truly gone, you do feel ready.

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Stopping C25K, Starting Camp NaNoWriMo

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Just because it’s become sort a running (pun intended) gag to post about C25K and NaNoWriMo in the same post – here we go:

I’ve recovered enough from my cold to breathe well enough to start C25K (Couch to 5K) back up again – but – I’m having other symptoms that make jogging very uncomfortable. I have another doctor appointment to find out more specifically what’s going on, but in the meanwhile I will report that I’m apparently having further complications to my earlier colectomy and illeostomy reversal surgeries. There is very likely another surgery in my future. While I am not technically restricted by my doctors from running, it doesn’t feel good, so I’m going to stick with walking and biking for now. There will more to report on this front soon I’m sure.

Camp NaNoWriMo started at the beginning of April. The difference between the camps and the official November event is that for the camps (in April, and I think July?) you set your own word count goal, or you can set a different type of goal, like for editing or some-such.  I’ve been preoccupied with taxes and lots of doctor appointments so I’ve written almost nothing toward the goal of 12,000 words I’ve set for myself. This week is technically spring break for our charter so I hope I can get in extra writing time since the girls will not need me for teaching as much. However, we still have a lot of group events and outside classes that will take up time, so I’m not going to get too excited about how much free time I’ll end up with.

There we are.

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Slow Recovery

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I’m back up and around and functional after getting sick last week. I’m doing just about everything normally again, except running. I still have a deep, moderately painful cough that’s lingering. You probably know the type. I don’t think my lungs can handle a run right now since they could barely handle it healthy. I am back to walking though, and each day gets a little better so I plan to start up the C25K very soon.

I’ve reads that if the C25K program is interrupted for illness or injury, or anything really, you need to back up the same amount of time you were out for. So if you’re sick a week, you back up a week in the program from where you left off and start up again there. I was 2/3 of the way through week 2 when I got sick and that was 11 days ago. By my math, I should start the program over again from the beginning. Part of me thinks, “Darn it! I’m tired of starting over.”, but another part thing, “Phew. I didn’t feel good this round. I probably need more time in the early weeks anyway.”

I also started doing more of an isometric exercise for my abs when both my doctor and a very fitness knowledgeable co-worker recommended the same thing to me in the same day. The hope is it will do a better job of strengthening my abused abs more safely than what I was trying before. Haven’t been doing it long enough to have any results to report, but it does hurt much less, so there’s that.

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Couch to 5 K Week 2 Day 1

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I almost didn’t advance myself to week 2, since week 1 was so much harder than I had expected it to be. Yet by the time I talked myself into getting out there at all, I felt like I might as well go all the way and go on to the next scheduled run. As usual with these things, I’m glad I did.

The week 2 run was still harder than I feel like it should have been considering how many times I’ve done this program before. I’m still disappointed how much strength and stamina I’ve lost. I try to be kind to myself, remembering that it isn’t as though I just stopped working out for a year and am getting back into it. I was incredibly ill that year. In the not too distant past, I could have died from what I went through last year. It’s really a statement to the wonder of modern medicine that, while last year was crappy, and I went through some non-enjoyable stuff, I was never really worried that my life was in danger. Maybe I should have been.

Still, starting from scratch to get in shape, when I did all this work before is frustrating. But what else is there to do? Not get  back in shape? That’s the other option, right? That won’t work for me, so here we go. Again.

I had my annual check up with my doctor today. I was surprised that he said he’d like to see me lose 10 to 20 pounds. I’d like to see me lose 50 to 60 pounds, so his advice feels like a piece of cake. Maybe that’s a bad simile for weight loss. It feels do-able. I can handle that.

So tonight it’s a walk and ab work (going to do ab work every day to deal with the lumpy tummy problem) and tomorrow C2 5K week 2 day 2!

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Couch to 5K Time Again.

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I started up the Couch to 5K running program yet again. This time I’m starting nowhere near NaNoWriMo! Not that it matters.

It was both harder, and not as bad as I thought it might be to get started again. So far, after the first two runs, I am much more winded after the running segments than I thought I’d be. On day 1, the minute of running felt so long. Too long. But today, only the second run, the minute was very do-able. Still I was breathing hard after even that short bit of running. All I can do is keep going, and trust that I’ll get better. If I need to, I’ll do each week twice, but I’ll keep going.

I maybe started a little too soon after being sick, as I’ve fallen into bad coughing attacks at the end of the runs, although today wasn’t as bad as last Thursday. One has to start somewhere though.

The part that was better than I’d hoped was my pace. That’s something that has improved very slowly, over many circuits through this running program. I always think that when I start the program over, I’ll have to start as slow as I did the previous time, but that’s something that seems to carry forward for me even through periods of not running. Unless this app isn’t accurate, which is possible, I don’t think I’ve ever managed a 10:28 pace so early in the program. I suspect as I do longer running intervals that will slow down since it will be harder to maintain lover longer periods. I remember, not all that long ago, thinking how if I could only get up to 12 min/mile, I would feel like I was doing well. 
I guess that’s part of the fun of this process. It’s always a little different, but I always get better. 

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Couch to 5k and NaNoWriMo Again, and Again. . . and again. . .and. . .

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This is basically a repeat of my previous post “Couch to 5K is My Fitness NaNoWriMo”, except I think this will be attempt 5 now? Maybe? I’ve lost count, but it doesn’t really matter.

In that last post I said I hoped this try would be the one to hit the finish line, but I’m not sure it will be. My colon hasn’t finished being persnickety even though the trouble making part is gone. It’s taking its sweet time to heal, so my ileostomy reversal won’t happen until August at the earliest.  There is nothing particularly tragic about this. It’s only relevant in that I have a second abdominal surgery to look forward to with a second recovery and therefore a second (fifth? sixth?) interruption to my 5k training program.

Still, in the meanwhile, I’m running the program. I ran week 2, day 1 tonight and it went well. Maybe I’ll have time to finish the whole program before surgery, maybe I won’t. It doesn’t matter though. I’ll probably need to restart after recovery anyway. Maybe I’m not a 5k runner. Maybe I’m someone to just tries. A lot.

And connecting these two events for me again – I just learned there is another camp NaNoWriMo in July. I’m outlining right now – something new to me so it’s slow going. I also have some other writing projects I want to move forward right now, but July will be a perfect goal time for getting the novel going. So far I think the outlining process will help me. Some complain that outlining takes the fun and spontaneity out of their writing but that doesn’t seem to be happening to me. Instead it’s making me excited about the story. It has a purpose – a meaning. It isn’t lost and meandering the way it felt. I think I’ve been an outliner trapped in a pantser all this time.

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Couch to 5k is my Fitness NaNoWriMo

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I participate in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month for the theoretical person out there who doesn’t know) every year, even when I know I don’t have the time or the energy to win. I just like to play. Mostly, I don’t hit my word goal.

Couch to 5K (or C25K since we all like to use the lingo, right?) is a running program that takes someone from not being a runner, to being able to run a 5K. I completed the program years ago and was so proud of myself. Then I hurt my foot and stopped running. Last year, when I was fed up with feeling crappy all the time I decided to start up again.

Things were much tougher for me then. I was very overweight and out of shape. After the first couple weeks of the program I had difficulty progressing, so I did each week twice before I felt strong enough to move one. I ran super slow. Most people could probably walk at the pace I was ‘running’. But I was still proud of myself.

Then I got lazy, and we went on vacation, and I generally neglected my running. Still, I wanted to do it, so I started over. That time I did better and got really close to finishing the program. . . and then I thought I had the flu, but actually had a perforated colon and got to spend some time in the hospital. It took longer than I expected to gain any strength back, but when I did, I started C25K all over again. My colon responded by acting back up again. Stupid colon.

Now I’m on the week 3 runs – for the fourth time in the past year, even though this time I knew going in that I would not be able to finish the program. That trouble-making colon is coming out in a couple weeks so I won’t be running for a bit as I recover.

So why bother restarting the training? The same reason I can’t not do NaNoWriMo. It makes me feel good. I’m proud of myself when I do it. Even though my efforts and results are not exciting compared to what I see others doing, they are pretty great for me. So after surgery, when my doctor says it’s safe – I’ll be starting my fifth attempt to get through the Couch to 5K program. Hopefully that will be the one I finish.

Oh – and, I’m signed up for Camp NaNoWriMo 2016 in April. I’m ‘karabu’ over there. Camp NaNoWriMo is similar to the November event, except you set your own word goal, and it doesn’t have to be all on one novel; any project is fine. Stop by and say Hi if you’re writing too!