Couch to 5K Progress

I’m officially 3+ weeks into my second round of Couch to 5K and it’s going really well. Week 1 had 1 minute stints of running, week 2 upped that to 1:30, and week 3 alternated 1:30 and 3 minute bursts. (Well, not burst as in speed, but you know what I mean.) Week 4 increases things again and alternates 3 and 5 minute stretches. I did my first Week 4 workout yesterday and whew! It was tough but I did it.

I like the program a lot, but it has been harder than it was when I did it for the first time about 18 months ago. The two biggest reasons for this are pretty obvious though. First is the fact that I’m coming back from a long pregnancy-induced layoff, which wasn’t the case last time around. And second is that I’m pushing Charlotte in the stroller, which adds a big layer of difficulty. (In a couple weeks once I’m back at work, my runs probably won’t include the stroller…but it’ll also be more challenging to find the time for them!)

I’ve also been adding 5-10 minutes to each workout. The C25K program seems to be based on the idea that 30 minutes = 3 miles but for me that won’t be the case — at least not anytime soon. By adding a bit, I end up with a 30-35 minute workout that mimics my expected 5K performance a bit better.

And speaking of 5Ks, I’m still in search of a target race. As June pointed out, there aren’t a ton of options in January but I’ve got my eye on two possibilities. The first is the ABB 5K on January 16. This is the 5K that’s held on Saturday as part of marathon weekend, and while the timing is good, I’m honestly not sure it’s worth going downtown and dealing with all the marathon weekend hoopla for “just” a 5K. So my other option is the Mardi Gras Galveston 5K a couple weeks later on January 30. It’s the same distance from home which is nice, but the start time is 11 a.m. which honestly I find kind of strange.

Nonetheless, I will do at least one of them. Onward!