Couch to 5K Training Program: Week Four
I'm Still Here
I've arrived at week four of the program, which is far further than I've ever made it with a running program before (although I'll admit, that's not saying much!). If you missed it, here's my recap of week three, or start at the beginning of my 5K training program.
5K Training Schedule: Week Four
Day 1: I was raring to go this morning (I really just wanted to get it over with), and the first part of the running workout wasn't too bad. The 4-minute intervals felt significantly longer than last week's 3-minute running intervals, but I just stayed focused on putting one foot in front of the other, and I managed to get through the first three intervals without incident. Unfortunately the fourth interval took a lot more effort and the fifth was absolute torture. I was so eager to be done with the workout that I headed home without taking enough time for a proper cool-down, which I paid for about 10 minutes later when I suddenly felt dizzy and weak in the middle of my shower. All in all, I certainly wasn't feeling like a real runner after this workout; time for a new strategy, or I'm going to be hanging up my running shoes yet again!
Day 2: I decided to try something new for this workout. Instead of listening to the Running Mate podcasts, I decided to create a running playlist to keep me energized during the running intervals and keep my mind off the pain! Using iTunes, this was extremely easy to do: I sorted my music by time, then went through and picked out five 4-minute songs (for the running intervals), four 1-minute songs (for the walking intervals) and two 5-minute songs (for the warm-up and cool-down). Then I rearranged them to create the correct order and I had a custom-made 5K training playlist ready to go. I can attest that listening to good music while running makes SUCH a difference; I can't say the running intervals were suddenly easy, but they did go by a lot faster. If you're struggling to get through the intervals, definitely give this a try!
Day 3: I was doing just fine, plodding along with my running intervals at a slow but steady rate when it happened. A middle-aged man in a beaten up minivan drove by (going the wrong way down a one-way street) and yelled out, "Pick up the pace!" Normally I'd write off such an incident as a very lame attempt at a cat call, but as I've mentioned in my past jogging recaps I do run really slowly, so I must say I was a little bit bothered by the remark. Not enough to lose sleep over, of course, but enough to feel just slightly more self-conscious about my running pace. Then again, you never know, maybe I can use the silly comment as motivation to work harder (and faster)!
