Week 4 Day 1

Date: 11/10/09
Time of Day: 9:30 PM
Location: Nissan Route

Conditions: 56 degrees F, clear
Music: Running Music 2
Clothing: Wicking shirt, Compression Shorts, Nike Shorts
Shoes: Puma Sierra Trail II

Week 4...the gauntlet.

While you add :30 per interval on Week 2 and they double on Week 3, you're still running roughly the same amount of time (8 minutes in Week 1, 9 minutes on Weeks 2 and 3). On Week 4, however, the amount of time you are running essentially doubles - to 16 minutes. That's a daunting number when you look at it at the beginning...especially if you struggled through the 1 minute runs at the beginning like I did.

Week 4 consists of a 3 minutes running-90 seconds walking-5 minutes running-2.5 minutes walking-3 minutes running-90 seconds walking-5 minutes running. Total running time is increased...and walk time (compared to the first 3 weeks) is virtually non-existent.

Honestly, I headed out the door last night thinking that I wasn't going to be able to do it. It wasn't so much a lack of confidence as it was a lack of belief. On that first 5k on W1D1, I had trouble with some of the 1 minute intervals. Heck, I even had trouble during the 5k on Saturday. I was just going to push as far as I could...and hopefully I'd complete most of it.

I headed out the door and put on Running Music 2. Republica got me ready to go...and when my 5 minute warmup ended, I started running my first 3 minutes.

For the first time, I changed my route. Instead of running back in the neighborhoods behind my apartment complex, I ran the other way, past Nissan HQ. From now on, we'll call this the "Nissan Route". The reason for this change is actually pretty simple...a couple of weeks ago, they extended the road, so it simply goes further...the more I do this program, the longer I'll be able to run down the same street.

Back to the run, I finished my first 3 minutes...and it was actually fairly easy. That's always a good sign. However, I hadn't looked at the plan for the week other than seeing how long my runs were going to be. The walking portion was only 90 seconds...which meant that I only had a minute-and-a-half to give my legs a little rest until I was back pounding the pavement. To make it worse, "Don't Cha" by the Pussycat Dolls was starting to play on my iPod. I didn't realize until this moment that I don't like that song.

As luck would have it, the 5 minute interval started before I had to cross the street, so I sat there running in circles at the crosswalk for about 20 seconds before the walk signal flashed...once it did, I took off across the street onto the sidewalk next to the business parks that surround my apartment. For pretty much the entire 5 minute run, I was on an incline. It wasn't a hill, but it was definitely not flat...and when I looked at the timer on my iPod at one point...I had 2:30 to go...yeah, this was hard. How on earth was I going to do it again?

Finally, the timer chimed and told me to walk...and I did. After the quickest 2:30 of my life, I had to kick in another 3 minute run...this one was definitely easier. At this point, the sidewalk had changed to a pavement trail. I didn't even know it did that...I had never been this far. As I came upon Nissan headquarters, the iPod chimed for me to walk again.

One more. I had made it this far. So I told myself, "Just two 2.5 minute runs. That's all it is." And when the timer chimed again, I took off...and it was easy. Well, not easy, but it wasn't a struggle. I could put each foot in front of the other one. Granted, I was going at a glacial pace, but speed will come later. As Rocky said, "It's not how hard you hit, it's how hard you can get hit," and at this point, I was taking a pounding. I was going to do it, though. I knew it. And I was running with a smile on my face because I realized I had actually accomplished something.

As "Praise You" was playing on the iPod, the final chime sounded and told me to cool down. I was done...or was I?

I wanted to at least run to the stoplight at the next intersection, so I kept running. When my foot landed in the crosswalk, I had run an extra 1:30...meaning that in 22 minutes, I had run 17:30. I pumped my fist and screamed a loud, "Woo." And I know I did this because I instantly looked in all directions to make sure no one had seen that. A month ago, I struggled to run 1 minute...and I just ran 5 minutes twice...and still had gas in the tank.

I've had days during this plan like I was on my way to doing something big that I hadn't done before...this was the first time that I had actually done something I hadn't done before. I ran longer and farther than I ever have in my adult life.

And I'm going to do it again on Thursday.

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Note: As I mentioned, I realized that during my run, I actually didn't like one of the songs on my playlist...so I've adjusted Running Music 2. Here's the new tracklisting:

1. "Ready to Go" - Republica - Republica

2. "Weapon of Choice" - Fatboy Slim - Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars

3. "3" - Britney Spears - 3 - Single

4. "Toxic" - Britney Spears - In The Zone

5. "Womanizer" - Britney Spears - Circus

6. "Gimme More" - Britney Spears - Blackout

7. "Praise You" - Fatboy Slim - Praise You - EP