In my last running update, I noted that I had managed to make it into week four of the Couch To 5K program. Despite setbacks, with a new pair of decent running shoes, I had pushed myself to the limit, and was jogging for up to five minutes at a time! Since then, though... silence.
There is a reason for that.
I have been very, very busy... and one of the things that I have been busy with is running.
No, I did not abandon the program. I kept with it, and I have to tell you, it worked for me.
By the end of September, I was up to running a mile at a time, which took be around 15 minutes. At that point, colder weather rolled in, and running outside became too much of a chore. I despise running in the cold [1], so I was kind of annoyed that I waited so long to start the program that my last few weeks would be miserable. I could easily see myself letting my running schedule slide when faced with the prospect of having to run in the cold, rain and sleet.
Fortunately, at that point, my place of employment moved into some nice new digs. Nice new digs that happened to be just two blocks away from the Sarah Heinz House. While the SHH is primarily a youth center, geared towards offering kids after-school programs, those all happen after 2PM... so for the first half of the day, they (and their rather nice little gym) are open to adult members.
Even better, because of those limitations, their adult membership prices are dirt cheap. And by "dirt cheap", I mean about a quarter of what you might pay for a membership at a "real" gym.
Two blocks away. Cheap. Treadmills in the workout room. A very noticeable lack of wind, rain, sleet, and cold.
How could I pass all that up? I plunked down the cash for a month's pass to try it out.
So I started running on a treadmill, and loved it. By the middle of November, I was banging out two and a third miles in about 30 minutes. That's around a 13 minute mile. So, yeah - I am not a speed demon by any definition. Keep in mind, though, that three months ago, I was deliriously happy that I managed to shuffle along for 60 seconds without puking up a lung.
I repeat: the whole Couch To 5K thing? It worked for me.
So there I am. Middle of November. Almost at the end of the program. All that is left, really, is for me to buckle down and actually, you know, do the last little bit.
Run a 5K.
Which brings us to... the Turkey Trot.
[1] This is what is known as "foreshadowing".
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