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Easier Than it Looks

Posted on August 5, 2009 by auburnchick

I don’t know how runners do it, but they make running look sooooo easy!

Such does not seem to be the case with me.

Perhaps I’m being too hard on myself.  I am, after all, only on Week 2 of the C25K program.

Today was running day, and after my great experience on Monday, I thought I would use the treadmill again.

Folks, it’s kind of hard to argue with the numbers projected on the display.

At the end of my 30-minute Christian Indie Broadcast, I had only run two stinking miles.

During the walking segments, I thought I was going at a brisk clip of 4.3 mph.  However, what did me in was my 5.3 mph pace during the running sessions.  That translates to an 11+ minute mile.

Not good.  Not good at all.

When my cool-down ended, I still had a little under a mile to go.

Now, how can I tell people I’m doing the C25K training if I’m not going the distance?

You know me…I go hard-core when I start something.

So, I ramped up the speed on the treadmill and ran…

For 5 straight minutes

At 5.3 mph.

It amounted to .6 of a mile, leaving .4 of a mile.

I figured I could do another cool-down, so I walked the rest of the way.

When I got done, I saw that I had been on the treadmill for 41 minutes.

Boy, am I slow.

On the other hand, I am not a quitter.

I have a newfound respect for runners.  They make it look so easy; yet, they had to start somewhere.  Maybe…way back when they were toddlers…they huffed and puffed their way through their first three miles.  Eventually, the longer their legs grew, the quicker they ran.

I have no hope of my legs growing any more, but eventually…when my stamina builds up…I hope to run a little faster.

Until then, I guess I’ll just have to carve out at least 45 minutes for my run each day.

By the way, Chris, the songwriter for the Buried Talents Band, creator, and DJ for the Christian Indie C25K Broadcast, commented on my blog!  How cool is that!

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: , , | 4 Comments »

Week 2 of the Couch to 5K Program

Posted on August 4, 2009 by auburnchick

Yesterday, I began week 2 of my new workout regimen…more specifically the Couch to 5K running program.

I’ve gotta tell you that I wasn’t exactly jumping for joy at the prospect of running for 90 second segments.

Sure, it doesn’t sound like a lot of time, but when you’re gasping for breath, that minute and a half can seem like forever.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, as it turned out), I got a slow start to my day.

Ok…I’ll confess…I slept in.

Gosh, but I am really loving these summer mornings!  After years and years of getting up early, it’s been a treat to have my children old enough to take care of themselves while allowing me to sleep.

Anyhow, by the time I got up and did a few things on the computer, it was already 10:00…way way way too hot to start running.  It had rained the night before, so when you factor in the humidity…ugh…

Thank goodness for the treadmill I bought last fall.

Yeah, the treadmill that hasn’t seen the most action and was out on my driveway during the yard sale I had a few months ago.

Thank goodness nobody bought it!

I set it up, along with a tall oscillating fan, and popped in my ear buds.

I decided to try the Christian Indie C25K track for week two.

What a delight!

Oh, the running wasn’t the most fun, nor was it fun starting the treadmill over when the program I had set ended…gotta find some instructions for that thing.

But the music…

Although it wasn’t mainstream (meaning no Steven Curtis Chapman, Michael W. Smith, or Jars of Clay), the words and beat were much more interesting than what I listened to last week.  Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

The DJ on this track was so pleasant to listen to.  Instead of a loud honking sound as the indicator to run, I got a man’s voice, encouraging me as I began my run segments.  Afterward, I was rewarded with a, “Good job, now relax a bit,” from the guy.

I liked it.

He was kind enough to let me know that how many rounds of running I had left before I was finished.

Folks, for a gal who’s spent hundreds of hours in the car watching mileage signs (Miami 300 miles), this was good for me.  When I’m on a journey, I need to know there is light at the end of the tunnel.

So, I made it through my run, with a couple of interruptions, without falling off of the machine.  Wow!  Sometimes I surprise myself at what I can accomplish!

I discovered that I like the treadmill much better, for now.  Although the scenery is a little boring (I must say that looking at my yarn peeking over the tops of the baskets they reside in is never an unpleasant thing), monitoring my speed and distance was a plus.  For now, I’ll continue using the treadmill on running days.

I will also, henceforth, use the Christian Indie track.  It certainly can’t hurt to be praising God while I’m running my own little earthly race.

Oh, and just so you know…the workout doesn’t end with the C25K program.  On the days I’m not running, I’m biking.  Today, I rode 8.4 miles.  And this with a slightly pulled butt muscle from my leg workout yesterday.

Yeah, I’m that klutzy.

I think it makes me more loveable!

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: , , , | 3 Comments »

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