C25K 1-1

Couch to 5K
Week One
Run One
Soundtrack: Paramore

This is my first post for the couch to 5K.  I have been wanting to run for a long time, but always hated it....catch-22.  Swimming has always been my thing.  I LOVE to swim.  But I don't have the cash for a membership somewhere, and getting there, swimming, showering, getting home....I don't have that kind of time either.  So what can I do that is free?  Run.  It helps that Jon loves to run.  It's infectious.  When the Lincoln Marathon was drawing near this year, I thought about how awesome it would be if I could get myself ready for a half-marathon by that time next year.  But I still didn't do anything about it.

I heard about the Couch to 5K plan from a few people, and I thought it was a really good plan.  It could work.  I showed it to Jon, and he decided to do it.  Then I thought, "why not do it together?"  What better way to motivate each other?  So Saturday we decided to start.  25 minutes total.  5 minutes of a brisk warm-up walk, then alternating 60 seconds jogging with 90 seconds walking, then we did a 5 minute cool-down walk home.

I'm not gonna lie, I did think I was going to die after the first 60 second jog.  I'm that out of shape.  My lungs got tight, I realized I didn't take or have my inhaler, and I almost panicked.  Then I thought, ok...quit being a weenie," and turns out I was ok.  Each time we jogged, my lungs were less tight.  They must have been thinking, "what is going on?  Emergency!  We are under attack...battle stations!"  Then a little bit later, they thought, "oh...wait, I remember this.  This is just exercise.  False alarm everybody!"  My legs cramped up, I was dripping in sweat, and you know what?  It was pretty awesome.  I thought after the first time, I was really going to have to force myself to go the next time.  But I didn't.  I've been waiting for it.  Jon made me keep a day off between.

I listened to Paramore, which was too up-tempo.  I thought fast rock music would be perfect, but I try to match my stride with the tempo, and I couldn't go that fast, and cutting it in half made me too slow, so it was not quite right.  I have a lot of work to do in the music department to figure out a good running playlist.

So anyway, the plan is 9 weeks long, 3 runs a week.  Each week I have to step it up.  At the end of 9 weeks, I should be able to run 3.1 miles, or a 5k.  There is a 5k at Pioneer's Park in December that i want to run.  Saturday Jon and I ran together.  During the week, I'll run alone.  So this was day one.  And it wasn't as bad as I thought it was. Now I'm thinking next week, when I have to step it up, might be a big challenge.  Won't know till I try though, right?