Week 1

Week 1:

Day 1:  We began on January 17th.  The first run went well, but was a little difficult since I was a little out of shape.  Of course my mental block against running was fighting me too.  Half way through the workout, I was thinking that I wouldn't make it more than a couple of weeks.  But this is where the beauty of a workout buddy comes in.  Since we agreed to do this together, I would be letting her down if I quit.  Also, I am not a quitter.  I quickly stashed my defeatist attitude and replaced it with hopeful optimism.  Meredith told me to "believe in the process."  I was just beginning to.

Day 2:  The day off in between workouts was as expected full of soreness and stiffness in my muscles, which told me that I didn't stretch enough or have enough water.  Noted.  The second workout was a little bit harder than the first one.  Again, I started doubting myself, but pushed through it.

Day 3: Last workout of the week.  If we did this, we might have a good chance of actually finishing this thing.   There was hope for us!  During the week I had researched 5K marathons and runs going on around town during the weeks following our program completion.  I found several at Disney, Gasparilla, and charity runs that didn't quite seem to sync up to our time frame.  Then I found the Iron Girl marathon in April.  It was perfect!  A marathon is the perfect goal to set to keep us motivated and shooting for something big at the end of all this hard work. 

Into

A few weeks ago, I was out to dinner with my friend Meredith and we were discussing exercising, diet, and nutrition. I mentioned how I had been trying out a few gyms in the area to consider joining, however, none of them seemed like the right fit for me. Part of the problem, I said, was that I needed a workout buddy. It is difficult enough to get out of bed and go workout, or come home from a long day at work and go to the gym. Having a workout buddy makes the process 10 times easier. She suggested the Couch-to-5K program. I had never heard of it, so she explained it to me.

As soon as I heard the word "run," I was ready to run away kicking and screaming. I held up a hand in protest and said, "I do not run." She continued explaining it saying, "It's for beginners, not runners. It's meant to help train a non-runner into someone who can run 3 miles." I kept protesting saying that I'll do any other kind of exercise but running. I'd even walk with her if she wanted to.

Then after thinking about it and looking up the website, http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml,I realized that it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  Desperate for a workout regiment after 4 months a of thesis-induced sedentary lifestyle, I agreed to do the program with her.

So, the non-runner with a heart murmur and allergies who decided in the 7th grade that she would never run again unless being chased by a criminal or trying to catch a plane or bus, started on a 2-month 5K training program.

It consists of three, 20 minute workouts a week for 2 months.