Couch to 5k

Another run post, this one from the opposite end of the spectrum… :)

I have never been a runner. Before this summer, I don’t know if I had ever run distances more than one mile. Running is what I would do to myself at the gym if I didn’t have time to spend 25 minutes on the elliptical and wanted a torturous way of burning calories in a compressed time. But I’d either do intervals or run for 8 minutes and then walk incline. Distance, pace, and calories burned was discouraging to me – it seemed really wimpy to run only one mile, burn 100 calories, and feel as exhausted as I did.

I suspect a lot of women out there can relate to my experience. Running, despite the simplicity of the act (a kid can do it with no training!), can be one of the most daunting sports to get into. The high-impact cardio aspect of it is tough for people not in great shape, and it seems like there’s a huge gap between the starting point and the “runners,” who casually run distances that have numbers that are really scary to me.

Enter Couch to 5k. I’d been thinking about this program for awhile, and when I saw a temporary online deal for Running Evolution’s 6 week class, I went for it. There is no magic in the training process, but it really helped to have a group of people to run with and Beth, an awesome running coach, full of warmth and encouragement. We had weekly class where we gradually increased our distance, and she also gave us “homework,” things like “jog 5 minutes / walk 1 minute for 30 minutes.”

The #1 lesson I learned from this class, the thing that really took me from “I can barely run a mile” to “I can run 3 miles” was this: Start off slow. It sounds stupid and simple, right? But I just didn’t get it before. I was going for 6-6.5 mph on the treadmill, and I thought going slow was 5 mph or so. No, turns out slow is more like 4 mph – conversational speed for a beginner. At this pace, a mile felt so much easier, and greater distances became achievable. Besides, you burn about the same number of calories for the distance whether you go slow or fast, as long as you’re at least jogging. Note that I’m 5’4, and if you’re shorter or taller, your comfortable pace will be different.

By the end of the class, I could wake up and jog 3 miles, no problem. I will confess to not having taking my training incredibly seriously (outside of class, I’d run once or twice a week), but the other exercise I do – gym, yoga, hiking, skiing – all helped. But there was one thing missing… an actual 5k. I found out about the IronGirl 5k/10k race, and it sounded perfect:

• The course was around Green Lake in Seattle, so all flat.
• Entry fee was a mere $25 for the 5k, no need to bug all my friends to do fundraisers for diseases.
• All girls! So the event shirt was a cute technical tee sized for women! (Unfortunately, the bathroom line was also what you’d expect it to be at an event of 3000-ish women)
• You get a stuffed Alfac duck. And everyone who finishes (run or walk) gets a medal.

Waking up at 5:30am sucks, but the race was a lot of fun. There was an expo of sponsors giving away free goodies (many pictured above, cat not included), including Luna Bars, a peppermint foot soak, and hair rubber bands. My goals for the race were 1) not to walk at all and 2) to finish with a pace of 12 min/mile. So I lined up with the 12 minute girls, and it ended up being too slow. I had to pass a bunch of people to get to people going as fast as I wanted to go. The race did feel like hard work. Around the 2nd mile marker, I started to feel a little tired, and I slowed my pace for a little while. Well, the hard work paid off in the end. I was really excited to see the clock at 35 minutes as I crossed the finish line, but I knew my actual time was even lower because it took awhile to get everyone through the start line.

Chip time: 33:40
Pace: 10:52 min/mile

So much better than I was hoping for! And Beth was at the finish line, cheering for all of the Couch to 5k students who were running at the event!

10 minute mile, you are in my future. And a 10k… and more? We’ll see!

YOU can do this, too. Even if you don’t have a class available, there are many resources:

• One of many Couch to 5k training programs @ CoolRunning
• Lots of music podcasts out there specifically for Couch to 5k programs, like this, this, this, or make your own.
• I use WalkJogRun to map neighborhood running routes so I can 1) run from my driveway, 2) know how far I’m running without a GPS, and 3) see the elevation profile ahead of time to avoid huge hills. There are several other sites like this, and you can find other people’s routes, too.
• School tracks are a great place to run. Many of them around here give runners keys for a small one-time fee, but at the one I use, the gate is usually unlocked.

Happy running!

~N