Want to hear something funny? I had such trouble on Friday doing Day 3 of Week 4 that I decided to do a day 4 and hold off on trying week 5. But before I left work on Friday, I typed up my cheat sheet for Week 5 just in case.
So I went to the gym today, fully expecting to repeat a day of Week 4,but when I got to the 3rd minute, I figured I would just do Week 5, Day 1. But since I didn’t intend to start Week 5 today, I didn’t bring the cheat sheet.
Here’s the amazing part! I thought I remembered the first day routine as walk 5, run 8, walk 5, run 8, walk 5! I actually skipped day 1 and not only that, I accidentally ran 9 minutes on my first run instead of 8. What the hell is going on? I ran at my Week 1 pace (4.3-4.4), but I did it and I feel great!
I haven’t posted since week 2, but I’ve been quietly puffing away over here. I had to share this story from week 4 day 3, though.
I’m out doing my run at 2 in the morning (it was one of those days), just coming off the first five minute run. And an ambulance, lights flashing (but no sirens), pulls up next to me and asks me if everything’s alright! Huh?? I mean, sure I was panting and gasping and all that, but did I really look that bad?
Before this I had been watching that ambulance waiting at a red light, which I thought was weird. The streets are empty at 2am in suburbia and his ambulance lights are on, why’s he waiting on the light? Maybe ambulances just go out trolling for victims on slow nights? The whole thing was just a bit… surreal.
Staggering Genius, I’ve had a car stop me and ask if I had pulled something in my leg.
I know I was struggling a bit, but I wasn’t aware it looked that bad.
An ambulance with lights flashing and all is an even greater story though
Maybe you looked like a lawyer and they decided to turn the tables a bit?
Good job, Nutty Bunny! It got cold as hell this morning (40 now!) and tomorrow I’m supposed to run in the morning… and an increase in time, too… luckily, I pre-bought and got some Very Serious Running Tights and stuff, knowing that when it came time for them I was NOT going to be going out if I didn’t feel warm enough. I’m going to feel like the biggest doofus around in my, god, tights and I’m a Runner Look At Me Special Shirt, and my NOT A FANNY PACK, but I’ve accepted my doofus-hood, I guess.
Well, after a week and a half hiatus for my ankle to heal, moi and I were back at it. She did some unofficial runs whilst I recouped, so I was the real slacker. Not too bad, I took it real easy and was hardly winded. I was trying to baby the ankle and it feels pretty good, just a little tight. So this is officially Week 3, day 1, redux. If my peg feels good on Weds, I’ll pick up the pace again.
OK, well, I said I was going to stop if I didn’t start seeing some weight loss after 4 weeks, and I was still fat after week four, so I’m going back to my regular workouts. Yesterday I did 30 min on the elliptical instead of running (I enjoy the elliptical more, and it burns more calories) and today I’m back to my pre-running weight.
So I’m glad I did this just because I’ve learned I can run if I want to, and when I get sick of my other workouts it gives me a different option. But I’m not a runner. It just doesn’t work for me.
Everyone who has stuck with it so far, you’re awesome! Congratulations!
Week Four is done! Note to self…do not drink milk before workout. I didn’t lose it, but it felt oogy. Anyway, I got off schedule a bit, and I want to work on speed a little, so I think I’m going to do a couple more days of week four and get back on track. I’ll start week five next Monday. Good going everyone!
I started week 4 today. Ohhhh, goodness. I had to wimp it up a little more and slow down to 4.5 (from 5.5) mph during the last 5-minute run, but by golly I finished it. Sheesh. No elliptical follow-up for me tonight. I was done. Quite. Done.
Did day 1 week 4 today. I think it’s going to be a two week week. I have baseball games to attend on Wednesday and Thursday night this week, something with some visiting team from Philadelphia. Anyway, my daughter joined me. I think I’m holding her back. She’s such a show off, not breathing heavy or straining or anything.
So the last 2 steps of the very last run something made a slight pop in my lower left calf. I had to limp the whole cool down walk. Knees were good, which I’ll take as a very good sign. I’m hoping the extended rest will make it fine to run by Friday.
I wouldn’t expect to see much weight loss from running on average around 12 minutes 3 times a day for 4 weeks. I think a general rule of thumb is 100 kcals per miles and if you do 12 minute miles that makes approximately 1200 kcals burned. Even if we double or triple that to allow for variations and my lousy math skills, it’s not going to amount to much.
Losing weight is much easier done by just not eating the calories in the first place.
I made it through Week 4 Day 1 yesterday with fewer problems than expected. The hard part was getting outside. It had been raining all day and the temps were in the low 50s. I think I need to follow Zsofia’s example and get running tights. They’ll go great with the non-matching wool hat I wore yesterday and the mittens I plan on wearing on future cold days.
I really did not think I could run for 5 minutes straight. Repeating Week 3 may have helped but either way, it was a pleasant surprise to hear Robert say it was time to walk. I don’t know how fast I’m going but in the 32 minutes or so I was out there, I walked and ran 2.3 miles (according to Mapquest).
Week 5 Day 1 is in the bag, and the running was the easy part. Getting up today was the hardest thing I’ve done in this so far. It was dark and it was somewhere around 38 and I actually reset the alarm and started rationalizing (I’ll be at a conference Thursday and Friday, so I should probably wait to run until Wednesday and I’ll still be a day short, etc…) when I made myself get up and do it. I put on gear real runners wear in places where the sun goes down in September and doesn’t come up again until March - my Serious Runner Tights, which have windblocker panels and are fuzzy on the inside, and a top that’s wind-resistant in the front and sweat-wicking in the back and has little holes for my thumbs and all these features, and gloves and a hat, and I thought I was going to FREEZE TO DEATH.
I have a running mantra. Some people say “Om” or something, I guess. I say “motherfucker motherfucker motherfucker motherfucker.” It helps.
Anyway, I did eventually warm up, but never my arms. The tights are IMHO necessary - pants would have never been warm enough. Of course, Runner’s World still probably thinks I should run in my underwear in these temperatures.
Serious question - is there any such thing as a nosewarmer? Because that was the limiting coldest thing.
The running was actually weirdly easier than last week. Maybe because I was just numb from the cold or pumped up from actually waking up to do it or something, I don’t know, but the first interval especially I was really surprised when it was over, and even the last one wasn’t bad.
The Runner’s World guide is just that; a guide. You will need to experiment to find what works for you. You could try arm warmers like cyclists wear. Your pace also determines what you wear, the faster you go the less you need. I never had nose trouble but I have heard that vaseline will block the wind/cold.
As I go forward through the weeks it’s been absolutely amazing to see my lungs adapt. I feel the same way, now - that my legs are the limiting factor. Which, thank GOD that happened before the cold mornings, because I was able to at least mostly breathe through my nose.
I’ll try the Vaseline - I mean, can I look dumber? Is it physically possible? The nice thing is that you’re too busy running to think about how your ass is probably jiggling in your dorky running tights. Of which I am going online right now to buy several more pairs.
I don’t know if it’s why today’s run felt so much easier than last week’s, but I had the rice cooker on a timer to serve me up steel cut oats with raisins this morning - had a bowl before and after, with cream and brown sugar and cinnamon. I don’t usually make time for breakfast, but I’ll have to start forcing myself to what with this running thing and all.
Oh, and I had the stupidest question of the day before the library even opened. I was talking about how proud I was that I got out of bed this morning to the ladies in the elevator, and one of them asked me if I was running with the local group, so I explained the Couch to 5K thing and said I really wanted to do a marathon this time next year.
“So, what kind of marathon is this?”
“What do you mean?”
“On foot, or what?”
I am SO signing up for the “drive your car 26 miles” marathon. I can’t wait to get my medal!
Not too bad, I took it real easy and was hardly winded. I was trying to baby the ankle and it feels pretty good, just a little tight. So this is officially Week 3, day 1, redux. If my peg feels good on Weds, I’ll pick up the pace again.