Not too long ago, I wrote a post about how I planned to attempt the Couch to 5K challenge, both in preparation for the upcoming wedding and to get myself in better shape, for health.  It was an endeavor I knew I could not undertake on my own, so it was lucky that Whitney decided she wanted to try Couch to 5K at the same time as me.

The original plan was that we would each start the program on March 1.  Sometimes, though, life happens, and things come up that tear down the best laid plans.  Which is why Whitney started her program a month ago, on February 1, while I started yesterday.  (You can check up on Whitney’s progress here, where she is maintaining a log of her runs and accomplishments.)  I decided to stick with the original plan of starting on March 1, primarily because the weather around here stunk more than a skunk in a sauna this February.  I also have enlisted Alex to participate in the program with me.  He will be running with me most weeks, keeping me motivated, and hopefully getting in shape himself.

Now, I do LIKE to run.  I don’t like how I feel AFTER I run, because between asthma and my blood pressure, I usually have a recovery time of at least 20 minutes, which is lame.  I’ve been looking forward to starting this running program, and to joining the ranks of people who can say, “yeah, I run.”  To me, that just sounds cool.  I thought about going nuts and spending loads of money on fancy workout clothes and other running paraphernalia, like a GPS tracker so I’d know how far we’d gone, but then I realized that, a) I have plenty of old but still functional workout clothes, and b) right now there are much better things I can spend my money on.  No GPS tracker for me.  There is also no C25K iPhone/iPod app for me at the moment (I have an iPod Touch, by the way, not an iPhone).  Alex and I tend to talk while we run, so I don’t have faith in myself to use the app properly – and it’s not free.  (I am a cheapskate with the iPhone apps, if they aren’t free, I generally will not download them.)

After some discussion, we decided to try running at Kensico Dam first.  It’s off the road, but is paved and flat, with loads of people there at any given time of day, even in this crappy weather.  Here is what the route looks like, courtesy of MapMyFitness.com (which is a fantastic resource for runners looking for routes, by the way!):

I’ve got to say, I really enjoyed our first run.  We stayed pretty true to the C25K program, walking half the time and running half the time.  It was chilly – probably a tiny bit below 40 degrees (Fahrenheit) – but I did not need to use my inhaler or stop to catch my breath once.  Alex did well, too, and I suspect he could have run more than he did but held back because of me.

I’m really psyched to go running again tomorrow, especially since we’re going to try out a different running route.  I’m not planning to bore everyone with daily updates on our progress, but I am thinking of doing weekly updates through the end of the program.  Does anyone have suggestions for a different level of frequency for the updates?

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If you follow this blog, you know that something I do from time to time is participate in something Whitney and I call “collective blogging.”  We come up with a topic from to write about, and then we both write our own versions of a post on the chosen topic.  To check out past collective blogs, please click here.

Today’s Topic: The C25K Challenge

To read Whitney’s post on The C25K Challenge, please click here.

Last week, Whitney and I wrote about New Year’s Resolutions.  One resolution we both happened to have involved physical fitness.  Big shocker, right?  Who doesn’t make a New Year’s Resolution about getting into shape every year?  But this year is different.  Really, it is!!  This year, I’m getting married in June and then going on a honeymoon to Hawaii.  Getting in shape is not an option – it HAS TO HAPPEN.

I’ve made valiant attempts over the last few months to find a fitness routine and stick to it.  I was doing pretty well around October-November with a combination of yoga/pilates/weight training, using my DVDs and hand weights in the living room to start toning up.  But then December came and it all went to crap.  I felt guilty… but not that guilty, because I was rather enjoying sitting curled up on the couch watching TV and knitting.  And as much as I like my Women’s Health: The Wedding Workout DVD, it just isn’t all that motivating once you’ve done the workout for a week.  It gets boring.

Then I happened to see someone tweet about something called C25K.  What was this?  I wondered.  So I googled it, and discovered that C25K is a running program/schedule designed to get you off the couch and running a 5K in nine weeks.  I’ve dabbled in running here and there, but I tend to give up because it’s either too much of a time-suck for me, or I get discouraged by my asthma.  So I thought about it and realized the C25K program might be just the thing to get me to run on a regular basis without… well, wanting to DIE.  Since running is one of the best ways to get in shape quickly, it seemed to solve my problem as far as looking my best for the wedding.

So I did what any good twitterer does: I tweeted about it, asking the twitterverse how they felt about C25K.  I got a few responses, all saying to try it because they were doing it and it was pretty good.  Then I got a tweet from Whitney, saying if I do it, she’ll do it with me.  AH!  PERFECT! A buddy to keep me motivated!

And so it was that Whitney and I decided to start the C25K program together… on March 1.  You’re probably wondering why March 1, and not now.  Seems like procrastination, right?  But there is a good reason, I promise!  I CANNOT run in my current physical state in the cold.  I absolutely will have an asthma attack – it’s happened before, more than once.  And because money is a little tight because of the wedding, I can’t go join a gym to get started on a treadmill now.  So I figured out that by March it should be a little warmer than it is now on a regular basis, and that gives me around 12 weeks to be up to a 5K by the wedding.  Perfect! (As a sidenote, I have this pipe dream about running on the beach while we’re on our honeymoon, I think it sounds very cool.  I don’t really know why.)  We’re going to be keeping tabs on each other using MapMyRun, which should help since Whitney and I don’t exactly live down the road from each other!  I’m also considering purchasing the C25K iPhone/iPod Touch app, which is supposed to tell you when to run and when to walk, without interrupting your music.  Anything to help me along!

I have made a vow to be on a healthy-stuff only diet, and to do my yoga and weights at least 3 times a week – starting… now! – so my body isn’t completely shocked come March.  Wish me luck, please!  I will need it!

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