Completed Couch to 5k program - April 17, 2009
I have “completed” the Couch to 5K program last week. However, I have not run 5k, yet. I really do feel like I can, but my time is much too slow. Yesterday’s “run” (I say run because it’s easier than saying jog, plus it sounds cooler) slow as it was, only got me 2.5 miles in an ‘amazing-only-to-snails’ time of 34 minutes. I feel that the only way I am going to get to 5k(3.1 miles) in a time I find reasonable for myself is by adding the distance in the same fashion that I learned to “run” in the first place. That means a little walk break after I do my 2.5, gather my energy, then finish the run as best I can. Hopefully that will work for me.
There’s a charity 5k next month in Santa Clarita that I’m thinking about signing up for my first run. A lot of new runners articles stress signing up for a 5k as a means to motivate yourself, but to be honest I didn’t want to sign up for anything that would make me feel bad to back out of – I guess it’s the little fat kid in me (the one whois afraid to try something physical) that wins out in that scenario.
Which reminds me of an interesting story!
Speaking of little fat kid and running, I mean. When I was in elementary school I really liked to do things and this was one of those formative events that changed all that. We had a holiday event around Easter, sort of like an activity day. One of those fun filled events involved a “run” around the school several times. Now, one of my favorite teachers and some of my friends were lining up to take part so I gladly joined in.The run started out all right, some brisk jogging and idle chatter, but about a quarter of the way around the first lap the pace picked up. I struggled to keep up, huffing and puffing harder and harder until it became too hard for me to breathe. Gasping for breath and my face turning bright red, I just had to stop. Even though I had stopped trying to run so hard and rest I just couldn’t catch my breath. As a result I started coughing violently. And people were gathering around me telling me to take deep breaths and relax. But I couldn’t relax because I couldn’t take deep breaths! And my throat started hurting from my constant wheezing/gasping/hacking. I kept coughing harder and harder until suddenly I threw up. In front of everyone. I was mortified!Eventually they had to make someone come out and clean the area because my vomit was in the path of the other runners. So I slunk home, sad and embarrassed. And careful to never cause myself that sort of embarrassment again.
I think it is pretty darn cool that the little fat kid who couldn’t run around his school is now reasonably fit enough to run in a 5k.
There’s a charity 5k next month in Santa Clarita that I’m thinking about signing up for my first run. A lot of new runners articles stress signing up for a 5k as a means to motivate yourself, but to be honest I didn’t want to sign up for anything that would make me feel bad to back out of – I guess it’s the little fat kid in me (the one whois afraid to try something physical) that wins out in that scenario.
Which reminds me of an interesting story!
Speaking of little fat kid and running, I mean. When I was in elementary school I really liked to do things and this was one of those formative events that changed all that. We had a holiday event around Easter, sort of like an activity day. One of those fun filled events involved a “run” around the school several times. Now, one of my favorite teachers and some of my friends were lining up to take part so I gladly joined in.The run started out all right, some brisk jogging and idle chatter, but about a quarter of the way around the first lap the pace picked up. I struggled to keep up, huffing and puffing harder and harder until it became too hard for me to breathe. Gasping for breath and my face turning bright red, I just had to stop. Even though I had stopped trying to run so hard and rest I just couldn’t catch my breath. As a result I started coughing violently. And people were gathering around me telling me to take deep breaths and relax. But I couldn’t relax because I couldn’t take deep breaths! And my throat started hurting from my constant wheezing/gasping/hacking. I kept coughing harder and harder until suddenly I threw up. In front of everyone. I was mortified!Eventually they had to make someone come out and clean the area because my vomit was in the path of the other runners. So I slunk home, sad and embarrassed. And careful to never cause myself that sort of embarrassment again.
I think it is pretty darn cool that the little fat kid who couldn’t run around his school is now reasonably fit enough to run in a 5k.
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