Hopefully I won't be writing about my running experiences too much, but seeing as how this is the most exciting thing in my life right now, you guys get to hear about it. :)
Basically,
Couch-to-5K is this idea that has you run three times a week for about 20-30 minutes. It starts you off small and will build you up to running three miles in about two months. It is made for people who do not run [a.k.a. me]. I basically chose to run because I feel everyone in the world has decided to start working out and since I'm too poor to join a gym, running is the cheap alternative. I've decided to run Tuesdays and Thursdays afternoons, then either Saturday or Sunday, depending on what is going on every weekend.
I've done the first two days of week one and it hasn't been too bad. I am tired by the end of it, but it isn't so hard that I feel frustrated. The only problems I have have to do with the fact that I am running on my decade old treadmill. The display isn't working so I have no idea how far I'm really running, I'm basing it all on how long I run for. I jokingly told my friend that at the end when I'm running for 20-30 minutes straight, I could be running only like a mile for all I know. haha
So my goal right now is that if I make it to week four, then I'm going to start running outside. I've calculated what is about 1.5 miles away from my house [thank you, google maps] so I'll hopefully be able to do that to figure out exactly how far I'm running by the end of it.
Also, I decided that if I actually stick with this, I'm going to reward myself with getting an iPod shuffle. I always make that promise to myself internally when I start up working out, but I rarely stick with it long enough to treat myself. Hopefully this time will be different. Of course the only problem with this is the fact that I need to time myself for the alternating walking/jogging parts. Right now I'm using the stopwatch feature on the iPod, but I hate holding that bulky thing, but I'll figure that out when I get to that point.
Actually, the real dream would be to get an iPod Touch only because they have a
c25k app that is absolutely PERFECT. It keeps track of what day and week you're on, it beeps every time you need to switch from walking to jogging or vice versa, you can set it to beep at the halfway mark so you know to turn around when running outside. You can also listen to your own music while doing it. It would be perfect because then I can just turn this on and run without having to pay attention to the time lapse. Of course, the chances of me being able to scrounge up $250 compared to $50 seems unlikely seeing as how I'm unemployed. Alas, alack, such is life.
Finally, when I'm not in the mood to trust the shuffle on my iPod, I've basically been running to
Miike Snow. [BTW - their single "Animal" is free right now on Amazon, but my favorite song is "Song For No One."] I just bought the CD and absolutely love it. Of course, I know at some point I'll need to make some kind of 'running mix' but I get bored with music if I listen to the same thing over and over again. So what I really need to do is make a running mix that has like 100 songs and just rotate on that. Send some suggestions my way if you'd like, and I'll work on that.
EDIT: I forgot to mention that I made chart given on the site into an easier-to-print Excel document with just the times, not distances. I mostly did this because I wanted a physical copy printed out to hang on my bulletin board. Also, I highlight/color in the boxes once I've completed a workout. This is to help motivate me. lol Anyway, if anyone wants the excel document, just ask and I'll send it over to you.