Couch to 5K is BACK

I'm back! I am settled in New York and now living in a location sans 100 degree temps and 90% humidity I am actually able to go outside. YAY!!!! The only time I was able to run in Florida was after 7:30 PM, that was when it finally cooled down enough to workout outside, and then I only had about 30-45 minutes til sundown. I tried going out in the early morning before sun up but with no sidewalks, no shoulders, no parks and no streetlights (yes, Cape Coral may be the poorest planned city in the nation) it was downright dangerous!! If I working on a show (which I was doing consistently from January - June as I did 3 in a row as a performer and 2 as a teacher) I was in rehearsal during the only possible running time. I just wasn't able to maintain any sort of consistent schedule.

Today I went on my first real run since I got here last week and will be starting my Couch to 5K back up.

I'm not going to start where I left off. Even though I had been running 1.5 miles with some regularity in Cape Coral up until the day I left, it feels like a whole new ballgame now. Cape Coral is flat, flat, FLAT. Honestly, not a hill in sight. Central Park is, well, the exact opposite. Running feels so much harder with hills. So, I've decided to backtrack on the program just a little and work my way back up again.

This week I am doing Week 4, I went out today and that seemed like the exact perfect place. It wasn't too easy yet it wasn't awfully difficult either.

So, the regimen for Week 4 is:
-Brisk 5-minute warm-up walk
Jog for 3 minutes
Walk for 90 seconds
Jog for 5 minutes
Walk for 2 1/2 minutes
Jog for 3 minutes
Walk for 90 seconds
Jog for 5 minutes
(I added a 20 minute cool down walk on the end since I was quite a distance from my apartment when the intervals ended)

It wasn't horrible, I made it through but it definitely wasn't as easy as it has been. I know I've been running much longer, farther, and faster in recent weeks but my legs are tiring much more quickly with the hills. I know my body will adapt and I just have to be patient!

I'll probably do one more day of the Week 4 schedule (Friday) and then if I am feeling comfortable I'll start the full Week 5 regimen next week.

Cheers!

I'm Still Here!

Hey all, I'm still alive and planning to complete my 5K. I was out of running commission for two weeks due to illness, but I'm finally feeling better so I've been out running this week. I did 1 mile Monday, 1.5 miles today, and I plan to do 2 miles one day this weekend and then I will start Week 7 up again next week!

Week 7, Day 1

The Week 7, Day 1 regimen looks like this:

Brisk 5-minute warm-up walk
Jog for 25 minutes
(I added a 5-minute cool down on the end)

Weather: 82F, Windy
Route: 2.5 miles

Today's run sucked. There is just no way around it. There are some wild fires burning to the East of us, and when the smoke blows in it's nasty. I ran Week 6, Day 3 again on Friday and the fires were really burning then, but the wind had changed direction so we did not smell it so badly out this direction. Today the wind was blowing right at us, and even though the fires have died down some, the smoke still made my run very unpleasant. Even the warm-up walk felt unusually hard. My lungs and throat were burning the whole time! Add to that a right knee that was bothering me, and badly needing to pee about halfway through (despite using the restroom immediately before I walked out the door!) and it was all around not an enjoyable experience. But, I made it through. My pace sucked, but I made it through.

Week 7, Day 1: COMPLETE

Week 6, Day 4

The Week 6, Day 4 regimen looks like this:

(Repeat of week 6, Day 3)
Brisk 5-minute warm-up walk
Jog for 25 minutes
(I added a 5-minute cool down walk)

Weather: 72F, light breeze
Route: 2.2 miles

Yay! I did it! I am not going to say it was easy. I always seem to hit this wall about 10 minutes in where I get bored and want to quit. It's not that I'm feeling particularly winded or tired, but that I just no longer feel particularly motivated to press on. Today I just focused on my music and pushed through it. The last 5 minutes I finished particularly strong. I am making my own song lists for the long run, so I arranged to finish on Odeon from "Bright Lights, Big City" which is basically a cocaine binge in the 1980s New York City nightclub...so yeah, a good uptempo number.

I'm going to repeat this run again on Friday just so I'm feeling secure, and then I'll move on to the Week 7 runs on Sunday.

Week 6, Day 3: COMPLETE!!!!

Week 6, Day 3

The Week 6, Day 3 regimen:

Brisk 5-minute warm-up walk
Jog for 25 minutes
(I added a 15 minute cool down walk)

Weather: 85F, Sunny
Route: 2.6 miles

I didn't make it today. :( I walked for probably 2 minutes in the middle. The sun was just killing me out there!

Anyway, my knees have been bothering me for the last couple of days, so I had already decided to repeat Week 6 this upcoming week to take it easy. I don't want to push it and end up hurting myself. So, I'll be repeating the Week 6, Day 1 interval on Tuesday.

Week 6, Day 3: incomplete

Week 6, Day 2

The Week 6, Day 2 regimen looks like this:

Brisk 5-minute warm-up walk
Jog for 10 minutes
Walk for 3 minutes
Jog for 10 minutes
(I added a 5-minute cool down walk on the end)

Weather: Overcast, 78F
Route: 2.6 miles

Today was a little tough. I didn't really realize how much time I spent on my feet at work until I had last week off for Spring Break. When I went back to school this week I was coming home with aching legs, and then I started to realize how much of my day is spent standing, walking, dancing or jumping around. It's been taking me a little while to get back into that groove and it's been making me more tired than usual. So, when I went out today, my legs were already feeling spent. But, I didn't quit, I made it through (at a decent pace too).

Week 6, Day 2: COMPLETE!

Week 6, Day 1

The Week 6, Day 1 regimen looks like this:

Brisk 5-minute warm-up walk
Jog for 5 minutes
Walk for 3 minutes
Jog for 8 minutes
Walk for 3 minutes
Jog for 5 minutes
(I added a 15 minute walk on the end)

Weather: 79F, Overcast VERY Humid.
Route: 2.77 miles

Today was so easy compared to last Friday. My pace definitely was a lot faster on my first two jogging intervals than it has been recently. The last jog interval I had to take a lot slower because I had pushed the first two a bit too fast. But I couldn't help myself, it felt really good.

Week 6, Day 1: COMPLETE!

Week 5, Day 3

Brisk 5-minute warm-up walk
Jog for 20 minutes
(I added a 10-minute cool down on the end)

Weather: Sunny, 82F
Route: 2.24 miles

Holy crap, I cannot believe I just did that. I feel horrible now. It was bloody hot out there, and I am drenched in sweat, but I cannot believe I ran for 20 straight minutes. When I mapped it out it ended up being about 1.7 miles. I learned one thing, I need to start making my own podcasts. The podcast I was using for the shorter intervals was fine, but I get soooooo bored of that music after 20 straight minutes, and it's only going to get worse as the runs get longer. If I am listening to something I can lose myself in, this running thing is much easier. If I have to spend the entire time thinking about what I'm doing, and how I'm feeling, and how much I'd rather be sleeping or whatever, it is torture to force myself through. But I survived! WHOA! 5 weeks ago I was all scared to increase my runs to 2 minute intervals, and now I ran for 20 minutes? Crazy!

Week 5, Day 3: COMPLETE!

Week 5, Day 2

The Week 5, Day 2 regimen looks like this:

Brisk 5-minute warm-up walk
Jog for 8 minutes
Walk for 5 minutes
Jog for 8 minutes
(I added a 5-minute cool down walk on the end)

Weather: Windy, Overcast and Mild, 60F
Route: 2.09 miles

This run was so easy! I started out the first run a little too fast and felt myself fading after the first five minutes, but I managed to keep it going the entire time. The second run was a breeze. I added an extra 2 minutes on to the end because I had hit my stride and was feeling really good.

Friday comes the big one..the 20 minute run. *GULP!*

Week 5, Day 2: COMPLETE!

Week 5, Day 1

The Week 5, Day 1 regimen looks like this:

Brisk 5-minute warmup walk
Jog 5 minutes
Walk 3 minutes
Jog 5 minutes
Walk 3 minutes
Jog 5 minutes
(I added a 10 minute cool down walk at the end)

Route: Agualinda to Savonna to Home - 2.39 miles

I wasn't too concerned about today. I handled the 5 minute runs throughout Week 4 and again they presented no problem. It felt a little hot today (I ran much earlier this morning, so I'm not sure of the exact temperature) but otherwise it was a nice run. The next run is two 8 miles intervals. And then the last run of the week is a 20-minute run. SCARY!

Week 5, Day 1: COMPLETE!

Week 4, Day 3

The Week 4, Day 3 regimen looks like this:

Brisk 5-minute warm-up walk
Jog for 3 minutes
Walk for 90 seconds
Jog for 5 minutes
Walk for 2 1/2 minutes
Jog for 3 minutes
Walk for 90 seconds
Jog for 5 minutes
(I added a 5 minute cool down walk on the end)

Today's Weather: 81F, Sunny, VERY humid
Route: The neighborhood around Bernadino Canal - 2.13 miles

Okay, again, a long hiatus since my last run and I paid dearlu. I barely survived the first 5-minute run, and I did okay on the second 5-minute until the last 45 seconds or so. Life got in the way. Well, to put it bluntly, "Jekyll & Hyde" got in the way. I am trying to get myself back on track but with another weekend of J&H in front of me I am worried about how I am going to make that happen. I think I'm going to keep on week 4 for the rest of this week and then I'll move on to week 5 next week when Spring Break starts and I have a bit less on my plate.

Week 4, Day 3: COMPLETE

Week 4, Day 2

The Week 4, Day 2 regimen looks like this:

Brisk 5-minute warm-up walk
Jog for 3 minutes
Walk for 90 seconds
Jog for 5 minutes
Walk for 2 1/2 minutes
Jog for 3 minutes
Walk for 90 seconds
Jog for 5 minutes
(I added a 5 minute cool down walk on the end)

Today's Weather: 82F, Sunny, Humid and Very Windy
Route - SW 45th St to Beach to Home - 2.09 miles

I've been away for the past few days due to tech week of "Jekyll & Hyde" and was worried that I'd have lost some endurance but overall I felt pretty good. The last few minute of that last 5 minute run was starting to get to me, it was just so hot out there. On one hand I love the humidity because it's awesome for my voice and it makes a huge difference in my vocal endurance, but on the other I hate the humidity for basically every other possible reason.

Now I'm off schedule due to missing my mid-week run, and I don't like how it feels. The only way I could catch up would be to do Day 3 tomorrow, and then jump into Week 5 on Sunday but I feel like that's really pushing it, especially with the show opening this weekend. It's not a very physically demanding show, but it is really emotionally draining and I am just exhausted at the end of it. I guess we'll see how I'm feeling tomorrow.

Week 4 , Day 2: COMPLETE!

Week 4, Day 1

The Week 4, Day 1 regimen looks like this:

Brisk 5-minute warm-up walk
Jog for 3 minutes
Walk for 90 seconds
Jog for 5 minutes
Walk for 2 1/2 minutes
Jog for 3 minutes
Walk for 90 seconds
Jog for 5 minutes
(I added a 15 minute cool down walk on the end)

Today's weather: 78F, partly cloudy. Light wind.
Route - Agualinda to Savona Parkway to Home - 2.58 miles

I was definitely nervous, I didn't think I was really ready for the 5 minute jog. Oddly enough, the 5 minute jog was EASY. I was able to hit a stride with the longer time and it flew by. The hardest part of the workout was actually that first 3 minute jog. It felt like it took an eternity. The last 30 seconds of that second 5 minute jog was also less than pleasant because it ended up taking place up a hill. Grrr.

Anyway, I'm really surprised how easily I got through this. I love how quickly and relatively painlessly this program builds endurance. It rocks!!

Week 4, Day 1: COMPLETE!

Week 3, Day 3

The Week 3, Day 3 regimen looks like this:

Brisk 5-minute warm-up walk
Jog 90 seconds
Walk 90 seconds
Jog 3 minutes
Walk 3 minutes
Jog 90 seconds
Walk 90 seconds
Jog 3 minutes
Walk 3 minutes
5-minute cool down walk

Today's Weather: 82F, partly cloudy.
Route: Neighborhood - Agualinda - SW 47th Ter - Neighborhood, 2.17 miles

I woke up this morning so sore. I don't know from what, I think it was just all the accumulated stress from the last few weeks. Last night was the 3rd grade musical production, so with that weight off my shoulders, I came home last night and just crashed. As a result I've felt tired and sore all day. I really, really, really didn't think I would go out for the run today. I had every excuse not to, some of them very good. Yet, somehow it just happened. I just went out and did it. And I'm glad...mostly because it's over and I'm still on schedule.

The last 3 minute interval felt so long. Towards the end I was ready to throw in the towel, I was just bored of it, then the countdown started happening and I ended up running for an extra minute afterwards just to prove that I didn't need to stop.

This whole experience has just been about challenging myself and my own perceptions about what I can and can't do.

Anyway, Week 3 is done and on to Week 4. Beginning with Week 4 the time spent running actually begins to outweigh the time spent walking. But, I've risen to all the past challenges and I'm confident that I'll get through this one too.

Week 3, Day 3: COMPLETE!

Week 3, Day 2

The Week 3, Day 2 regimen looks like this:

Brisk 5-minute warm-up walk
Jog 90 seconds
Walk 90 seconds
Jog 3 minutes
Walk 3 minutes
Jog 90 seconds
Walk 90 seconds
Jog 3 minutes
Walk 3 minutes
5-minute cool down walk

Today's Weather: Drizzly, high 70s
Route: Laps around the neighborhood

Today was hard. My heart wasn't in it. I am under a lot of stress right now, and sleep-deprived. I made every excuse in the world to skip this run. But, I went, and I survived. I made it through all the intervals, and now I can mark it off my checklist.

Week 3, Day 2: COMPLETE!

Week 3, Day 1

The Week 3, Day 1 regimen looks like this:

Brisk 5-minute warm-up walk
Jog 90 seconds
Walk 90 seconds
Jog 3 minutes
Walk 3 minutes
Jog 90 seconds
Walk 90 seconds
Jog 3 minutes
Walk 3 minutes
5-minute cool down walk

Today's Weather: Overcast, 67F, humid
Route: Home to Cape Coral Pkwy to Home



I was a little nervous about this week.  I was going from a 90 second run to a 3-minute run.  But it was no problem at all!  I cruised through both 3-minute runs without much problem.  During the second 3-minute run my legs were feeling heavy, but I still felt pretty good.  No issues with side stitches today, which was great.  Yay week 3!

Week 3, Day 1: COMPLETE!

Week 2, Day 3

The Week 2, Day 3 regimen looks like this:

Brisk 5-minute warm-up walk
Alternate 90 seconds of jogging with 2 minutes of walking
5-minute cool down walk

Today's weather: Sunny, 81F, light breeze
Route: Home - Ida Baker - Home, 2.39 miles

When I left for my run today I didn't anticipate it going well. I had an awful stomachache. I felt like I had swallowed a brick. I was tired, I was cranky after a rough day at school and all around just feeling really sad for myself. The five minute walk sucked, I'm not going to lie. I just wasn't in the mood. I fought with myself to keep going. Then the countdown for the run started and all of the sudden I felt amazing. Once I started running it all went away, the pain, the tiredness, the crankiness. GONE. Today was so EASY. I am shocked, truly, and I feel so good and happy. Yea exercise endorphins!

Now the exciting part, on to Week 3. I am feeling a little intimidated. I'm going from measuring my runs in seconds to measuring my runs in minutes now! EEK!

Week 2, Day 3: COMPLETE!

Onwards to Week 3!!!!

Week 2, Day 2

The Week 2, Day 2 regimen looks like this:

Brisk 5-minute warm-up walk

Alternate 90 seconds of jogging with 2 minutes of walking

5-minute cool down walk

Today's weather: sunny, 85F

Route: Neighborhood streets

I expected today to be hard.  First of all, I had been at work since 7AM and on my feet all day (per usual), but because today was the first day of FCAT I had the kids outside all day playing games which meant a lot of jumping, running around, crawling in the grass and other ridiculous stuff that a person of my age should probably not be doing.  It is also much warmer today than it has been on my previous runs.  Yet I zipped through today's run with no problems.  The intervals were easy and I found myself recovering quickly.  I did have that side stitch issue again, but the discomfort was mild and I just worked through it.

Only one more day of the week two intervals!

Week 2, Day 1

The Week 2, Day 1 regimen looks like this:

Brisk 5-minute warm up walk

Alternate 90 seconds of jogging with 2 minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes

5-minute cool down walk

Today's weather: Mostly sunny, warm

Route: Home to Ida Baker to Home - 2.39 miles

Upped the ante just a little bit this week and I made it!  Towards the end of some of the 90 second jogs I wasn't sure I was going to be able to make it much farther, but then the countdown for to begin the walk would start and I knew I was going to be okay.  I also got a bit of a side stitch about halfway through but I stubbornly ran through it and it eventually cleared itself up.  Three days of this interval seems doable.

Onward and upward.

Week 2, Day 1: COMPLETE

Week 1, Day 3

The Week 1, Day 3 regimen looks like this:

Brisk 5-minute warm up walk

Alternate 60 seconds of running with 90 second of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

5-minute cool down walk

Today's weather: Cloudy and mild.

Route: Home to Ida Baker to Home

My legs were in much better condition today as Friday's are very casual for us so I spent my entire day in my running shoes, but my body in general just felt sluggish.  My pace was sooooo slow today, and afterwards when I was on my way to see "Watchmen" I started to feel some soreness.  I remember this happening last time I tried to start this program (which I stupidly started right before I left for NYU with the intention of continuing while there.....ha.) and questioning whether I was ready to move on to the Week 2 program.  Last time I ended up sailing through week 2, and I am hoping the same is true this time.

Week 1, Day 3: COMPLETE.

On to Week 2!

Week 1, Day 2

The Week 1, Day 2 regimen looks like this:

Brisk 5-minute warm up walk

Alternate 60 seconds of running with 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes

5 minute cool-down walk

Today's weather: Partly cloudy and mild.  Light wind.

Route: 3 laps around neighborhood

Today was much harder, my legs felt exhausted before I even started out.  I think it was because today's run was after a long work day, and I had spent the entire day in 4 inch boots.  Lesson learned, don't wear 4 inch boots on running days.  I am sure my pace was quite a bit slower today because of it.

Week 1, Day 2: COMPLETE

Week 1, Day 1

To meet my 5K goal I am using Cool Running's Couch to 5K Running Plan which moves in baby step to help my lazy ass get back into running shape.  I tend to be a clock-watcher while working out so I am using this blogger's podcasts to time out my intervals.  There are a lot of other Couch to 5K podcasts out there, but most of them are very techno/trance heavy which just isn't my bag.  Perhaps at some point I'll take the time to figure out Garage Band and put my own mixes together, but I'm all drained of ambition at this point in time.

The Week 1, Day 1 regimen looks like this:

Brisk 5 minute warm-up walk

Alternate 60 seconds of running with 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes

5 minute cool-down walk 

Today's weather: Overcast and cool (for Florida anyway, probably 55-60 degrees).  Windy.

Route: Home to Ida S. Baker High School to Home - 2.39 miles

I found the run to be very easy, I had no physical problems with any of the intervals.  For me this experience is going to be more about the mental.  I had to fight with myself the entire time to keep going, not because I was too tired or winded but because I was too lazy.  Conquering the mental block is going to be my biggest challenge.

Week 1 - Day 1: COMPLETE

Colleen Runs a 5K

One of my New Year's Resolutions this year was to run a 5K.  I am not sure what prompted me to make this resolution.  I'm not particularly interested in losing weight or even "getting healthy," I think I am more interested in just having a goal to obtain.  Since I am well on my way to meeting my first resolution (moving to New York), it is time to start my work on resolution #2.

This blog is here to mark my progress and keep me honest.  If I announce to the world that I am working towards a goal, that I better produce some results!

Free free to goad, harass, belittle, and maybe even encourage (if you're into that type of thing...) me.