Tag Archives: Zen Labs

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.

 

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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 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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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?

Couch to 5k Week 1 Day 2

Week 1 Day 2 is in the books and I honestly thought it wasn’t going to happen. The work schedule has been kind of weird and I find the evenings are the times that’ll work best for me. With that being said as I’m driving home it was dark and the thunder was rumbling so I knew the outdoors wasn’t going to happen so I took it to the treadmill. With my iPhone in hand I walked back into the spare bedroom and hopped on the treadmill to kick of Day 2. The hardest part was figuring out my pace, I know my paces outside but never really pay attention to them. So after kicking off the app and starting my training I finally found my paces and I was a tad bit surprised. My walking pace at minimum turned out to be 3.5 mph and my running pace for the intervals was 6.5 mph. The intervals were exactly the same as Day 1 but I found myself a bit more comfortable running and wanting to run more, but fought the urge and followed the training to the “t”. I know I have a long way to go but I feel as if I’m on the right track and definitely looking forward to the end result.

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Do you skip your training when the weather doesn’t permit? Which do you prefer indoor or outdoor training?

Couch to 5k Week 1 Day 1

Confusion has probably set in on those who just read the “Couch to 5K Week 1 Day 1” title as I’ve already ran several 5k races. With taking as much time off as I have and some knee problems starting to progressively get worse I’ve decided to start from square one. My first 5k I ran in February 2013 with minimal training. Even though I did well on my time, I didn’t totally run the 5k which is now my goal. I’d like to run a 5k from start to finish and have a respectable time. After speaking to several people who had never ran and trained they all suggested the Couch to 5k so I thought I’d give it a try. I went thru iTunes and found a C25K – 5K trainer from Zen Labs and that’s the app that I’ll be using throughout my 5k training.

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Looking thru the workouts it’ll be a 3 day a week program for a total of 8 weeks. Week 1 day 1 was 30 minute workout with walking/running intervals. The program started with a 5 minute warm up then into a 1 minute run. The 1 minute run was followed by a 90 second walk then repeat the process. Day 1 wasn’t too bad and I feel as if I’m off to a good start.

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So I chose to start Week one Day 1 at my most favorite place in the world (sensing a bit of sarcasm) – the Memorial Causeway. I say that jokingly of course as I actually do love that bridge. We met several years back and it’s been a love/hate relationship. I love the bridge and the challenge it offers but my knees hate it. Going forward the first day of the week for the entire program will be done at the bridge but days 2 and 3 will be done in the neighborhood as time doesn’t always permit me to go to the bridge. One thing is for sure, by the time the Best Damn Race comes around in 2014 I’ll be able to say that was the first Damn race I totally ran.

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What type of training have you done to prepare for your running? What type of progression have you seen over the years as you continue to train?

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