Couch to 5k

I have taken up jogging! After 6.5 weeks, I am 5.5 weeks into the Couch to 5k program (there were a couple evenings where I was too busy).

I am not actually aiming for the ability to run 5k right now: I'm doing the running segments at 3.5mph (look, my treadmill is in imperial, okay?) rather than the theoretical running speed of 6.2mph. Once I've acquired the stamina to maintain 3.5mph for 30 minutes straight, I'll try picking up some speed. I read a post that recommended going for stamina first and working on speed later, and it does seem to be keeping me from getting overwhelmed.

I'm definitely improving: I really don't think my body as it was two months ago could have handled jogging for 8 minutes straight (let alone doing it again 5 minutes later). Sometimes I jog part of the way to work if I'm running a little late, and that's definitely gotten easier.

I wasn't thinking of racing when I decided to start--I primarily wanted the lifespan-extension and immune benefits, plus you never know when having some running skill might come in handy--but Mom encouraged me to go look into what races are available and what the requirements are. It looks like pretty much all the races around here are in agreement that you must maintain a minimum average speed of 3.75mph, and the big race is in October each year. By October, I might very well be capable of doing it. Maybe I will.

Couch to 5k Addendum

So far, it hasn't been pleasant per se, but it has felt...self-actualising? Like, a satisfying sense of "yes, this is exactly the sort of thing I would do, and I feel more fully myself having done it". Goals and actions coming into alignment.

Which is not to say distractions aren't also helpful, to give me more things to focus on in the moment other than how much my legs ache. I was just listening to music the first few weeks, but on my last run I experimented with video, since Mom's desktop is right next to the treadmill. She tilted her screen so we could both see it and showed me some Hawaiian dancers and some Disney clips. I think it's a promising technique.

Tonight will be the first run with no breaks in the middle: twenty straight minutes. Wish me luck.