Running Journal - Week 1

Recently, my wife and I found a primary care physician and went in for a physical. Guess what the doctor told me? No...he didn't call me 'fat'. Well, not in those terms. He did set a goal for me to lose some weight, told me to go on a low-carb diet, and exhorted me to exercise five times a week. He then set an appointment for three months for me to come back and see him.

Since our visit, I've thought 'How can I get accomplish the weight loss goal?' The thought came to me: run a 5K. Now, running is not something I've done a lot of since my junior year in college. And, even then, I hated running in college. But, I was in pretty good condition when I was in college. I'm not in terrible condition now (Em and I have made it a point to continue to be active), but I'm definitely not in great shape, and I'm not in running shape. So, I found the two things I would need to get this running thing down:
1) A 12-week beginner's 5K training program (I have a pair of Nike+ ready shoes and use a Nike+ sensor, so I figured I'd use the 5K Training (Beginner) Nike+ Coach program).
2) A local 5K that was 12 weeks away (TMC Meet Me Downtown Night 5K Run/Walk - 2 June 2012).

I then mapped out some routes in our neighborhood and found a few that meet the distances I'm looking for, and I know of a local park with a running path.

As of Tuesday, the training has begun. I'll take a few minutes each Sunday to write a little bit about how the week's runs went. This is the easiest way I know of to keep myself honest about my progress...so here goes.

Week 1 Totals - 3 Runs, 4.23 miles, 46:45

Tuesday - 1.16 miles, 12:08
I started this program on a Tuesday, so this was the first run. I made it about 2/3 of a mile before my lungs were telling me to take it a little easier for a minute, so I walked about half a block before trying to set an easier pace the rest of the way. Of course, I didn't realize how close I was to being finished. A lesson learned for the next time. I also ended up running a little farther than I needed to, as my sensor wasn't calibrated for my running stride.

Thursday - 2.06 miles, 25:36
I despise the wind, especially when it is blowing in your face. It didn't help that I knew that this was going to be a longer run than I had done two days earlier. But, I managed to make it through mile 1 without stopping for a walk, and still jogged most of mile 2. I did find out that my route had a nice hill at the end of it. I may need to re-examine my routes, or the direction in which I run them.

Saturday - 1.01 miles, 9:01
As the time might indicate, this was the first run where I managed not to walk. Not bad for the third time out. I ran the same route as Monday, but didn't tack on the extra .15 mile, as I started and stopped at known points so I could calibrate my sensor. Now, hopefully, I won't be running any extra distance (unless I'm just feeling like mixing up the route a little bit). I also realized that I need to re-examine the first couple songs on my running playlists, as I started off the run a little faster than I would have liked. I was feeling it by the end of that run.

Week 2 Schedule: 5 runs, 9 miles

Thus Sayeth Your Haus