Category Archives: Couch to 5K

Couch to 5K Final Wrap Up

Wrapping up week 8 training on the Couch to 5K left me with one last item to complete the program…. run a 5k. This past Friday I was off and the wife played hooky so I tagged along on her training run which just happened to be a 5k. After completing the Couch to 5K program I’m still not running a full 5k but this past attempt had me run about 85% of the run which got me a time of 36:48. I’m adding a graphic below that’ll cover my splits for the last 5K training I did. This past year I ran the Best Dam Race in Safety Harbor which would have been my first 5k and that time was 38:25. While I’ve managed to trim off a 1 minute 30 seconds off my first 5k time I felt much better on this past Friday’s run. While I’ve completed the program I still feel I can benefit by continuing to run as well as going back to the program for some interval training. Now it’s time to move on to my next training mission which is the Warrior Dash on February 1st 2014.

 

5k splits

5K Final

What was your experience with the Couch to 5K program? Would you recommend it to a friend just looking to start running?

Couch to 5K Week 8 Wrap Up

Sorry for the delay but week 8 is officially in the books and wow what a week it was. In addition to my Couch to 5K training the wife is doing some half marathon training which has gotten me some extra time in. While I’ve had my routine runs according to the app there has also been a Sunday morning addition to the routine. The wife’s training has brought her 6, 7 and even 8 mile runs on Sundays but I’m unable to complete those so I’ve been riding along. I feel as if the additional training on the bike has helped a bit with my endurance and overall performance.

Days 1 and 2 brought me 28 minutes of run time, which I’m happy to report I was able to run about 25 of it. I did have to stop a few times to take a quick water break but overall I ran a majority of it. Day 3 on the other hand brought me 30 minutes of running of which I was able to run approximately 28 of the 30. I once again did have to stop a few times, but this was for a water break and to catch a quick breath or two.

Overall I’ve been really happy with the Couch to 5K program so far and I have one workout left. My last workout I must do in order to complete my Couch to 5K program is run a 5k. I’ll be doing that this week as well as trying to establish a regular running schedule. I feel the regular schedule will help me maintain and improve on the 8 week training I’ve done so far as well help my cardio progress so I can see changes in my performance on the paintball field.

How far along are you with your training? How do you hope this training will help you?

Couch to 5K Week 7 Wrap Up

Week 7 of the Couch to 5K is officially in the books but coming to you a week late. The previous week was chaotic between having to go to Orlando for work 3 days and also FLBlogCon, which just totally blew my schedule. I’m happy to report I’m back on track and finished out the week on a positive note. The weekly training which consisted of 5 minute warm ups, 25 minutes of running and then a 5 minute cool down is what week 7 had in store for me. I almost missed day 3 training due to helping a friend move and meeting another for dinner, I would have never made it. I had decided that I’d do my training later in the evening. Two pitchers of beer, chips and salsa, plus boneless honey BBQ wings over fries happened and I was wondering “how the hell am I going to run after all this”. The wife told me I was crazy for attempting this but I did squeeze in day 3 after all this and I must say I was actually surprised. Though I didn’t intend on running after our night out I’ve decided it needed to be done and I needed to hold myself accountable for my training. After all, I was the one who chose to indulge as I had so I needed to hold myself accountable for my training and carry on.

treadmill

Have you ever had your schedule thrown off by work and how did you make it up? Would you ever attempt to run after a night of indulging?

Couch to 5K Week 6 Wrap Up

Week #6 is done and in the books and I’m feeling even stronger than the previous weeks. Day 1 brought forth the traditional run/walk intervals that I’ve been used to so it was business as usual. The training session for the day ended up being 34 minutes. No real surprises for me but on Day 1 my training felt really strong.

 

Week 6 Day 1 34:00 minutes

5 minute warm up

5 minute jog

3 minute walk

8 minute jog

3 minute walk

5 minute walk

5 minute cool down

Day 2 brought a small change in the fact that I had 2 separate 10 minute running intervals which I completed successfully without any issues. This training session for the day ended up being 33 minutes which pretty my falls into line with most of the other training sessions so far in this program.

 

Week 6 Day 2 33:00 minutes

5 minute warm up

10 minute run

3 minute walk

10 minute run

5 minute cool down

 

Day 3 brought the ultimate surprise and a bit of foul language. See, I completed the initial 5 minute warm up and then I hear the prompt “begin running” which I promptly looked down and saw 22 minutes. I’m not going to lie but once again I blurted out obscenities for the house to hear. I thought to myself 22 minutes…. Is that even possible? I started running and running but by minute 10 I was feeling like I wanted to give in, but I didn’t. I then found myself in a zone where it felt like time didn’t exist for a bit. The next thing I know I heard those words that made my ears perk up and put a smile on my face. What words are those, you ask? Those magical words “1 minute left” came thru my headphones. I pushed thru and finally heard the prompt saying to start my cool down walk. I remember thinking to myself “I made it” although I seriously had my doubts but I did manage to survive the 22 minute run.

 

Week 6 Day3 32:00 minutes

5 minute warm up

22 minute run

5 minute cool down

What part of your training has ever made you doubt yourself and your training? How did you respond and what were your results?

Couch to 5K Week 5 Wrap Up

With the week coming to a close, I’ve completed yet another week of my Zen Labs Couch to 5K program and I’m on my way to hopefully being able to run my first full 5K race. Week 5 definitely came with it’s challenges as two of my three days were spent running indoors on the treadmill due to timing issues. Day one seemed to be a normal routine and I’ve definitely become accustomed to it.

Week 5 Day 1 (31 minutes)

5 minute warm up

5 minute jog

3 minute walk

5 minute jog

3 minute walk

5 minute jog

5 minute cool down

Day two of this week’s training brought me less intervals with higher run times. While they weren’t any issues I definitely found myself noticing the additional run time the training program threw in, but I survived. Day two was done indoors on the treadmill as I had to resort to an evening run and it was just too hot outside. Needless to say I still sweat my butt off even though I was indoors.

Week 5 Day 2 (31 minutes)

5 minute warm up

8 minute jog

5 minute walk

8 minute jog

5 minute cool down

Day three however brought the ultimate surprise for me. See I normally pay attention to what the program has in store for me but for some strange reason I failed to check ahead to see what day three had to offer. I was actually quite shocked after I finished my five minute warm up and the program told me to jog for 20 minutes. Yes that’s right the program had me running for 20 minutes which the wife came running into the spare room as I started yelling obscenities as I’m running. I accomplished the entire 20 minutes without slowing down or stopping at all. The pace remained consistent throughout the entire run and I finished strong.

Week 5 Day 3 (30 minutes)

5 minute warm up

20 minute jog

5 cool down

With my first five weeks in the books I’m feeling more confident about being able to run a full 5K from start to finish, but I’m still a bit off from accomplishing this goal that I’ve set for myself.

 

bridge

 

For those who have done the Couch to 5K, which portion of the training did you find the hardest? How did you manage to make it through?

Couch to 5K Week 4 Wrap Up

With week 4 of my Couch to 5K program coming to an end, I’ve officially passed the halfway mark and I’m well on my way to meeting my goal of running a full 5k. The training time for week 4 consisted of 31:30 training sessions of which approximately 16 minutes of that time was spent running. The additional running time doesn’t seem to have affected me and I’m starting to feel pretty confident about being to accomplish this goal. Below I’ve listed out the intervals for week 4 of the training program and it was definitely a chore but I’ve managed to work my way through it.

5 minute warm up

3 minute run

90 second walk

5 minute run

2.5 minute walk

3 minute run

90 second walk

5 minute run

5 minute Cool Down

I’ve started to notice little differences in activities I do. Activities that used to be hard for me based on their physical nature are now becoming easier. My endurance for running during my paintball scrimmages seems to be growing and the fatigue seems to be less of an issue at the end of the day.

bridge

How has your training helped with any activities you do? Have you noticed any changes in your endurance levels?

Couch to 5K Week 3 Wrap Up

Week 3 is officially in the books and I’m happy to say I’ve made it thru another week of the C25k program by Zen Labs. The intervals have changed slightly but nothing significant. Warm up and cool down still consist of the traditional 5 minute times. My first interval consisted of a 90 second jog followed by 90 seconds of walking. After that we moved on to a 3 minute jog followed by a 3 minute walk. The program is a 1 to 1 with all of its training which seems to help me with building my endurance for my ultimate goal. The biggest changes in my routine came with me being able to accommodate running outdoors for 2 of my 3 training days. Sunday’s run was at the Memorial Causeway which is our normal Sunday running place, but Tuesday ended up being a treadmill day. Thursday morning was a weird exception for me as I woke up early and ended up running in the AM as opposed to an afternoon run. I’ll admit the morning run was tough to get up to do but once I got outside I was fine. The day seemed to go much better as I wasn’t stressed about making time to run as I had already gotten it out of the way and made for what felt to be a great start to the day.

Outside

photo 4

photo 3

Where do you prefer to do your training? Do you prefer morning or Afternoon runs?

Couch to 5K Catch Up

For those who have been following my progress on the Couch to 5K, I’m a few days behind so I’ll do a wrap up of the past few days. Last week I was able to complete Week 2 Days 2 and 3 which obviously were an exact mirror of Day 1. I did change the experience a bit by doing one day outside and the other inside on the treadmill. I’ll have to admit even with as miserable it is out in the afternoon I still preferred to be outdoors. The heat was a tad bit unbearable but still worth it in the end over the treadmill. Treadmill training seems to have a negative effect on me; yes, it’s convenient but definitely not the same as being outdoors. Day 2 and 3 workouts were the same but I could tell a definite difference with indoor training vs. outdoors. The indoor training, while convenient, lacked the mental stimulation that you get from outdoors. The heat, humidity and over all change of scenery is what I require to keep me motivated.

Week 3 Day 1 did bring some changes as I’m starting to run/walk in longer intervals and it definitely feels a bit different but in a good way. I’ve noticed on my running portions that I’m able to pace myself and not feel any winding or fatigue from the increased intervals. The one thing I’m sure of is I’m definitely seeing the progress and I’m confident I’ll make my goal of running my first full 5K.

bridge

sunday run

What type of training have you done in the past to train for any events? How did it help you prepare?

Couch to 5K Week 2 Day 1

This past Sunday brought me to the beginning of week 2 of the Couch to 5K program and this week was a slight modification of week 1. Week 2 brought an additional 30 seconds of running per interval and also an additional 30 seconds of walking for each interval. The change on the running portion was so subtle that I didn’t even notice the additional time and it felt great. Even the additional walking time was hardly noticeable on this training run. The total training time for this run was 31 minutes and which was just a minute over last week’s training sessions. Week 1 and 2 of the Couch to 5K consisted of the following workouts that I’ve listed below.

Week 2 Day 1

Week 1 workout: 8 minutes jog time and 12 minutes walking

5 Minute Warm up

(8) 60 Second Jogs

(8) 90 Second Walk

5 Minute Cool down

Week 2 workout: 9 Minutes jog time and 12 minutes walking

5 Minute Warm up

(6) 90 Second Jogs

(6) 120 Second Walk

5 Minute Cool Down

Week 1 didn’t appear to be that bad even though I ran 2 of the 3 days on the treadmill due to weather. The beginning of every week is run at the the Memorial Causeway in Clearwater and I wished I could do all 3 days there but time doesn’t permit me to during the week. Week 2 felt pretty much the same for me even though week 2 only added 1 additional minute of running. The intervals were longer and there were fewer, but I noticed my pace seemed a bit faster on the runs.

photo 3 photo 4

photo 2

What training have you done to complete your first 5K? Was it a schedule you created yourself?

Couch to 5K Week 1 Day 3

Week 1 Day 3 of the Couch to 5K training is in the books and I’m happy to report I’m still hanging in there. While the routines were the same I noticed that my walk and run paces for day one had to be bumped on Day 3 as I felt they were too slow. The paces that I felt most comfortable with were 3.5 mph walk and 6.5 mph run. My warm up and cool down pace are always 3.0 mph, but other than that I’ve felt comfortable enough to increase my pace. I’m sure that there are some that’ll tell me to take it slow and let the program guide me, but I’ve never been one to go slow. Being committed to the program and my goal I’ve determined that the weather isn’t going to hold me back. I found myself on Day 3 having to seek the shelter of the indoors due to weather but I’m ok with that. Running indoors on the treadmill seems a bit boring as you’re generally staring at the same area, but I try to focus on the run rather than the fact that I’m indoors. Looking forward to the future training I’ve seen they take the walk duration down and running time up as you would expect but it’s a gradual approach. Over time I’m sure the goal of myself running a full 5k will be met and then some. Over the next few weeks I’ll keep you informed on my progress and what I’ve observed while completing the program.

W1D3

What type of training have you done to prepare for your first 5k? How do you feel it prepared you for your first timed event?

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