Week 5 Day 1

Date: 11/18/09
Time of Day: 9:30 PM
Location: Nissan Route

Conditions: 43-44 degrees F, chilly
Music: Running Music 2
Clothing: Long Wicking shirt, Compression Shorts, Target-brand Shorts
Shoes: Nike Air Pegasus 26+

I say this every run, but man...last night was hard.

For those who are unaware, none of the workouts in Week 5 are the same. Day 1 (last night) consists of three 5 minute running intervals with 3 minute walks in between. Day 2 is two 8 minute runs with a 5 minute walk in between. And....Day 3 is the dreaded monster 20 minute run.

On paper, it seems that W5D1 would be easier than Week 4 because you are running for 1 minute less. However, as they say, runs aren't done on paper.

The first thing I realized was that last week, I had been using the wrong set of hedges to mark my 1 mile point, so I moved back up the sidewalk a ways to start from the correct spot. Also, earlier this week, I had updated the C25K app on my iPod...and this would be the first run with the updated version.

The first run started out easily enough...but by about the 3 minute mark, I was pushing it. Another one of those feelings of, "How am I going to keep doing this? It's so hard!" As usual, I picked a landmark that I thought would be close enough to the end of the run and ran to it...knowing that if I could make it there, I could make it to the end of the run.

It's weird how I know I can run that far - I did it 6 times last week - but something in my mind is still telling me...oh, but you haven't done it enough in your life, you might not do it now. I always do, though. Again, not a lack of confidence...a lack of prior evidence. I guess I actually have to see it to believe it. And every day, I keep proving to myself that it can be done.

The second run was a little easier, mostly because most of it was downhill. I hit the halfway point both in the run and in the program in the middle of the run here. It definitely wasn't easy...it was still one of my hardest intervals ever...but it was definitely easier than the first one.

At this point, not one inch on my body was cold. Despite it being 40 degrees and my body being covered in sweat, every single inch of my body was warm. It was a very strange experience to be standing in 40 degree weather wishing you had on short sleeves.

Finally, I hit the third run. I saw my shadow in the streetlights and realized I had to look very penguin-y running along and chuckled to myself. The fact that I was able to laugh, however, told me again that I would be able to finish...as long as my breathing isn't hurting me, I'm pretty much fine. And so I finished at approximately the same spot as Sunday, despite running one minute less and starting further up the trail. At least my pace appears to be improving.

I keep having to argue with myself on virtually every run...after every running interval, I think, "Wow...that was really hard...I don't know how I'm going to do the next one." And I have to tell myself, "Of course it's hard. That's the whole point. It's not easy. It will get easier the further you go."

And I keep telling myself that.

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Note: I also started the Hundred Pushup Challenge on Monday. Last night was W1D2. Not much to report other than...I did a lot of pushups.