Couch to 5K in 2010

12/28/09
I started a training program called 'Couch to 5K' today. It is a program geared toward sedentary people to gradually get your body used to running with the goal of being able to run 3 miles without stopping. 5K is 3.11 miles. As I mentioned in my last post, I have been doing pretty good on the treadmill and I have decided that I really want to make a commitment to running as a way to stay fit. The exciting thing is that I have finally found that elusive goal I have been searching for that isn't just losing weight. The goal is to run a marathon. I'm still not sure if it is a realistic commitment for me, but I firmly believe that I CAN do it. The only question is if I WILL do it. And the funny thing is, I think I will this time. For the first time, I'm excited about an exercise program and am thinking more about that than the losing of weight which will almost surely follow. The first race I plan to run is a 5K on April 25th in Iowa City. The Couch to 5K program is only 9 weeks and the River Run in Iowa City is 17 weeks from now which gives me plenty of time to get ready. Between now and then, I will decide what races I want to run next. I should be able to get a 10K race in relatively quickly after the 5K and then I will decide if I want to try a half marathon first or go straight to the full 26.2 miles. If I decide to do the half marathon first, the I may not get to the full until next year, which is not the end of the world, but I'd really like to try and get it in this year if my body can take it and I am ready. The last thing I want is an injury though, so I want to make sure that I don't do something I'm not ready for.
In some ways, the difficult thing about the C25K program is that I feel like I'm taking a bit of a step backward in terms of the amount of running I'm doing. The last time on the treadmill I did 3.83 miles in 45 minutes. I had also been running 4-5 times/week. This program is running only 3 times/week with the other four days as rest days. And for the first couple weeks, it's only 20 minutes of walking and running for those three days. The first two weeks is 60 seconds of jogging and then 90 seconds of walking repeated 8 times (total 20 minutes). When I was doing the treadmill on my own, I was up to 3 minutes of jogging and 2 minutes of walking for 45 minutes. Granted I was exhausted when I finished. And that is the problem; I was probably overdoing and setting myself up for an injury, or for a pace I couldn't maintain for a long time. The advice I read online said again and again to avoid trying to do too much too fast and I'm going to take that advice and 'run' with it. Here is the 9 week C25K program:

Week Workout 1 Workout 2 Workout 3
1 Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes. Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes. Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.
2 Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes. Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes. Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.
3 Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following:
Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds)
Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds)
Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes)
Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)
Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following:
Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds)
Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds)
Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes)
Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)
Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following:
Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds)
Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds)
Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes)
Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)
4 Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:
Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds)
Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
Walk 1/4 mile (or 2-1/2 minutes)
Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds)
Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:
Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds)
Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
Walk 1/4 mile (or 2-1/2 minutes)
Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds)
Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:
Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds)
Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
Walk 1/4 mile (or 2-1/2 minutes)
Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds)
Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
5 Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:
Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:
Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes)
Walk 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes)
Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog two miles (or 20 minutes) with no walking.
6 Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:
Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes)
Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then:
Jog 1 mile (or 10 minutes)
Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)
Jog 1 mile (or 10 minutes)
Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2-1/4 miles (or 25 minutes) with no walking.
7 Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.5 miles (or 25 minutes). Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.5 miles (or 25 minutes). Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.5 miles (or 25 minutes).
8 Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.75 miles (or 28 minutes). Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.75 miles (or 28 minutes). Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.75 miles (or 28 minutes).
9 Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 3 miles (or 30 minutes). Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 3 miles (or 30 minutes). The final workout! Congratulations! Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 3 miles (or 30 minutes).

So, I've begun and today I made my first monetary commitment as well. I bought running shoes to the tune of $100. I went to a running shoe specialty store in Cedar Falls and had the guy video tape me jogging on the treadmill to determine what shoes I need. I had a balanced stride so he recommended a neutral stability shoe and gave me three different ones to try. I ended up going with the Brooks DeFyance 3, they were the most comfortable. Iowa City, here I come!