Couch to 5K Training Program: Week Two
Taking It To the Next Level
Well, I've made it to week two of the 5K training program. It may not be a major accomplishment, but it's more than I've ever done in the past. Don't forget to read my recap of week one, and learn where it all started!
5K Training Schedule: Week Two
This week's 5K training schedule features a 5-minute warm-up, followed by 2 minute and 30 second running intervals and 2 minute 30 second walking intervals, for a total of 5 running intervals. The workout concludes with a 5-minute cool-down.
Day 1: Since my family is visiting and they’re pretty much all exercise buffs, we decided to go for a group run. I figured that if having one partner along last time could make the workouts easier, imagine what a breeze running would be with four partners. Big mistake! I’m not sure if it was the longer running intervals, or the fact that I was constantly bombarded with annoying questions and comments (“should we turn right or left?”, “wait, which street is your house on?”, “hey, let’s stop at that park!”) but this workout was tough. Lesson learned: feeling frustrated can make exercise seem 10 times harder than it should be. My sister and I agreed to keep our remaining workouts one-on-one. Another piece of frustration I noticed this time around: I started experiencing shin splints. When I mentioned it, my dad pointed out that I’ve been running in cross-trainers, not running sneakers – whoops! Seriously, why didn’t that occur to me? My first post-workout order of business was to buy some well-fitting (and hopefully cute) running shoes…slowly but surely I think I’m turning into a runner!
Day 2: Hoping for a better day and decked out in my brand new running shoes, I headed out for my running workout with my sister in tow. I was happy to find that the new running sneakers did seem to take care of the shin splints; in fact, this was, by far, my best workout so far. The added comfort of proper shoes and the conversation my sister provided made the running intervals fly by (almost) painlessly. It’s remarkable how something that simple can make you feel like you could conquer the world!
Day 3: Well, even the mightiest must fall, and today was my day (OK, I’m far from the mightiest, but I’m certainly mightier than I was before I started the Couch to 5K program). I still can’t figure out what went wrong today, but getting through the running intervals took a massive effort. I’m chalking it up to the fact that I ran in silence (no gossip to distract me this time around) and that it was really humid outside. Whatever the reason, I’m not feeling too confident about moving onto 3-minute running intervals next time around.
Well, we've made it this far. Let's move on to week three!