Day 3 – 20 minutes of continuous running. It sits there on the C25K schedule…taunting me. Surrounded by days of running with walk breaks, that 20 minutes of running really sticks out like a sore thumb.
I woke up this morning with a mix of apprehension and excitement. I knew it was going to be a challenge, but I also knew that if I made it past today, I could tackle any of the other days. I hit the Start button on my heart rate monitor watch and headed off to complete C25K W5D3.
I started running and realized my pace was too fast. I was anxious to conquer this goal and my legs were in more of a hurry than the rest of my body. At about the half way point, I had to fight the urge to stop and take a walking break. Since the program uses the run-walk pattern, my body was expecting a break. I kept going, pushing past the thoughts of how a fast walk would feel good about then.
I glanced the watch on my heart rate monitor and saw that I was only one minute from reaching the 20 minute goal. That was the longest 60 seconds this week. Later today I mapped the distance using the mileage calculator at gmaps-pedometer.com. I covered a distance of 2 miles in those twenty minutes. My goal is to run my first 5K in 30 minutes or less, so to see that I averaged 10 minute miles was encouraging.
Stats from my Polar F4 Heart Rate Monitor:
Duration: 33:33
In Zone: 23:59
Avg. HR: 142 bpm
Max HR: 171 bpm
Calories Burned: 390
Polar F4 Heart Rate Monitor
Today’s C25K run was a little more enjoyable since I was using my new Polar F4 heart rate monitor . I spent some time Sunday afternoon at the indoor track calculating my VO2 Max level so that I could check the accuracy of the feature that shows how many calories I burn. According to my calculations it was about two calories off – close enough for me and much more reliable than the data in the LoseIt! app.
I’ll write a complete review of the Polar F4 after I’ve used it for awhile. So far I’m happy I purchased this particular model.
The run was tough. Two eight minutes run with a walk in between. Before I left for my run, I check the C25K Schedule, just to make sure I perform the correct tasks for the day and for some reason I thought it was two eight minutes runs with a 5 minute jog in between. I left the house prepared to run 21 minutes of running, so I was relieved when I heard I could walk for five minutes.
Next up is the 20 minute run on day three.
Training for the 5K with my Life Partner
Today’s c25k schedule calls for an alternating pattern of five minute runs separated by three minute walks. Not too much of a change from day three of week four so the run went pretty quickly. The weather was perfect, just starting to warm up a little bit and the sun was still coming up.
After feeling under the weather for a couple of days, I couldn’t wait to get back on track with my training schedule.
My wife joined me on this run. It’s unusual that the Night Owl wakes up so early, but she was up and about before I went on my run and since she’s training for the same 5K that I am, we ran together. She’s following her own training plan, but this morning she followed along with mine.
The time was over before we knew it. Funny how easy a workout is when you are doing it with your best friend 
.
If Sunday is my favorite C25K day, Tuesday is my least favorite. I always seem to struggle on day 3. It’s a work day, the day after a very busy day at the office. I usually stay up to late Monday night and I end up just dragging through the Couch to 5K workout.
This Tuesday was no exception. I completed the entire workout and as always, I’m glad I started my day with a workout. The first three runs were fairly easy, but the last five minute run was tough.
Next Tuesday is really going to be a test of my will to stick to the Couch to 5K Schedule. Week 5 Day 3 is 20 minutes of running- yikes. I will get up and run…I will get up and run.
Losing Weight with Couch to 5K
Day Two of the Couch to 5K program is my favorite out of the three. It falls on Sunday. My body and mind is rested from a day off of work and as I run my mind isn’t thinking about work issues waiting for me at the office. It’s a day filled with time spent with my family and recharging my batteries for another week. With thoughts like that it’s no wonder my pace is a little faster on C25K day 2.
My runs have ended with sore or cramps in my calves so the night before I was studying the topic of the ideal runners gait and thought maybe I was running too much on my toes. Landing on your toes rather than mid-sole, stresses the calf muscles. Sounds logical to me. So during my run each step was “don’t land on your toes, don’t land on your toes”. It seemed like it helped. My legs were sore, but the calf muscles weren’t cramping to the point that made me limp like the first couple of weeks.
Sunday is also weigh in day. One of the benefits that I hope to gain from completing the C25K program is to drop a few pounds. I’ve calculated what my daily calorie intake needs to be so that it’s at a deficit. I’m using the Ipod/Iphone app, LoseIt! to keep track of all the numbers and chart my progress. My efforts paid off with a three pound wight loss in a week. Sweeet!
I was glad I woke up early enough to get my C25K workout in early yesterday morning. The temperature was going to get in the low 90′s and the humidity was going to be close to 90%. A combination that makes even walking an uncomfortable exercise. It was about 75 degrees when I headed out the door at 6:15 AM.
I knew I had a busy day at work ahead of me so I was glad I was getting some endorphins released first thing in the morning. Being pressed for time, I didn’t cover the same amount of distance as I normally do. I typically put in a longer warm up and cool down walk to get into a better area to run.
I think the week four workout was a bit of a challenge for me. I don’t feel as wiped out as I did after the first day of C25K, but I can tell my body is getting used to a new level of intensity. I happy for that since the last couple of weeks have felt like a workout, but I haven’t felt like I was gaining any ground in terms of my endurance. It looks like weeks four and five are going to change that.
One of the additional goals I’m working on is losing some more weight. Last year, I lost 25 pounds using diet and exercise and I’d like to lose some more to get my BMI into a healthier range. I’ve been counting my calorie intake using the Lose It! Iphone/Itouch app. It’s a fantastic program and sure beats turning on the PC just to record the foods I’ve eaten. Now I’m working on getting a handle on the calories I burn so that I can be at the calorie deficit I need to be to lose a pound a week. My current heart rate monitor is pretty basic without any kind of calorie counting feature. It’s doesn’t even have average heart rate so that I could calculate the amount of calories are burning using a math formula.
I’m considering two models of Polar heart rate monitor watches. One is the model F4, and the other is the model FT7. The Polar Model F4 is an older model no longer manufactured, but still carried by a few online retailers. Since it’s not the latest and greatest, the price is less than the most current model.
What do you use for heart rate monitor? If you have heart rate monitor recommendations, please share them in the comments.
Instead of waking up for my C25k workout at 5:00, I slept through the alarm and woke up just in time to make it to work. Doh! I hate when that happens. I can tell I’m getting hooked on this running thing, when I go through a bit of a withdrawal when I postpone a workout. The run first thing in the morning really energizes me for the day.
Instead, I had to get my run in at the end of the day. I ate dinner and waited until just before dark to head out the door. I thought I’d have enough time to get out and back for this couch to 5K session before it got too dark, but I was wrong. It became pretty dark on the way back. Since I run in the street, I guess I should invest in workout clothes in colors other than black, gray, and navy blue. Fortunately due to me Swedish-American heritage, my white skin almost glows in the dark .
Day three of each C25K level has been easier than the first. Week three was no exception. So far this program has met my expectations of slowly getting my body in shape for my first 5K at the end of September.
I went to bed last night feeling a little nervous about today’s couch to 5K workout. Part of the day I had to put on my knee brace that I wear when I’m running or doing anything that’s physical and involves my knees. I think on day one of week three of C25K I step off wrong on the first run. I also completed that run in the evening after work, when my body (and knees) were fatigued. I typically complete my 5k training in the early hours of the morning when I’m well rested.
When I woke up, most of the pain had gone away, so I strapped on the knee brace, hooked up my MP3 player and headed out the door. I cross some fairly busy streets so I’ve adjusted my starting point and walk a little further so I can begin the run after I’ve crossed those two streets. I’ve been covering a distance of approximately 2.5 miles during the week three C25K workout. I was tempted to put another run in besides the last one in the series of the day, but I didn’t want to push it too hard.
Time to Train for the 5K
I woke up today and looked at the clock. Ugh, I slept through the alarm and had enough time to eat and get off to breakfast. You know when your starting to get hooked on exercise when you feel like something is missing if you skip Couch to 5K workout. That’s what I felt like when I headed off to work.
When I returned from work, I drank some water, had some fruit, and got my running gear on. After some stretches, I hit the play button on my MP3 player and listened to my C25K Podcast. Week 3 calls for a couple of runs of five minutes each.
The running went pretty well. Of course the second five minute jog was a little slower than the first one, but I felt like I still had the energy to run even longer.
Runners have an important decision to make: what to put on their feet.
Sounds simple enough, but it can get confusing.
New shoes are continually bombarding the market. And now, shoe companies such as Reebok and Skechers have new running shoes they claim simulate running in sand, which increases muscle activation and toning.
In theory, these toning shoes sound like a great product. But should consumers be running toward or away from them?
To make it feel as though users are running in sand, the new models from both shoe companies are made softer and slightly less stable than a normal running shoe.
Read the entire article.
