Week 5 is done and I am mostly happy about it.
First and foremost, I completed the week. That in and of itself should be victory enough, right? I want to say the last time I attempted the Couch to 5K program, that week 5 was where I tapped out. I don’t even remember why I stopped running the last time, I just stopped. Then when I looked back, I wished that I had kept going. Right now, I honestly believe the only reason I am still running is actually being signed up for an event.
W5/D1
- 5 Min W/U
- 5R+3W
- 6R+3W
- 5 Run
- 5 Min Cool Down
W5/D2
- 5 Min W/U
- 5R+3W
- 8R+5W
- 5 Run
- 5 Min Cool Down
W5/D3
- 5 Min W/U
- 8 Run
- 5 Walk
- 8 RUn
- 5 Min Cool Down
The 3rd day was the toughest for me and I totally mixed up what I was scheduled to do. My wife asked me how that was possible if I am listening to the audio queues on when to start and stop running and I still really have no idea. The plan was to run for 8 minutes, walk 5, then run another 8 minutes. I am not sure how my wires got crossed, but it somehow got into my head that I was going to run 8, walk 5, run 5, walk 5, then run 8. I didn’t even consider that this would be more running than any other day up until now. Once the second running interval hit 5 minutes and kept going, I was confused. I figured maybe I looked at the time wrong so I kept running. After running for 6 minutes, I stopped and looked at my phone and realized what had happened. I started to run again but was irritated and felt stupid for the next minute knowing I had somehow thrown off the schedule for the day. It is obvious looking at the Garmin data where I stopped.
After I finished the run, I started a 30-minute power walk program via the Peloton app and took a stroll with the weighted vest. I went through one of the trails to get some different scenery which was cool.
Race Predictor
Every single time I go for a run, I do my best not to look at my pace. I also do my best not to look at the race predictor after I run, but I just can’t help myself. All week I was holding around the same pace until Sunday. The night before, my wife and I got a rare date night and I enjoyed some beer, something I rarely get to do unless we are on vacation. On Sunday afternoon, we ate Mexican food, which usually leaves me feeling bloated and chock-full of sodium. I was actually surprised I was even able to hold somewhat of a close pace to all of the other runs. The 5K time increased by just a few seconds so I shouldn’t be beating myself up, though I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little disappointed. I feel that once the line is drawn in the sand, I should be able to hold that regardless of the running schedule, yet in the back of my mind I know that isn’t always realistic.
Take-Aways
The average pace on my runs this week was around the 10:30/mile mark. When I first look at that, I am a little bummed because I feel like I should be a lot faster. Then I remember that pace includes a run and a walk, so it is not a true indication of me actually running the entire time. That really gets me pumped up because back in the day, when I was running a lot more than I am now, I believe my average pace was somewhere around this mark. Maybe, just maybe, I have actually gotten a touch faster.