C25K Graduate!!

Yep, that's right, I finished the Couch to 5K program last Friday!!!  I guess I could say I'm a real runner now, maybe? I'm still pretty slow but can run a minimum of 30 minutes at a time which is pretty gosh darn exciting to me!  Here is the my final week in the program broke down:

Monday:  Run for 30 minutes - I had to stop twice within the first 15 minutes for two different things.  I really try not to stop for any reason because getting going again is super hard for me.  First I tied my right shoe too tight and I felt like there was no circulation in my toes so I fixed that.  I'm really weird about my shoe tying.  Both shoes have to feel the same in terms of tightness or looseness when I tie them. I also don't like my shoes tied too tight or too loose and I can't stand for the tongue to slide to the side!  I feel like I'm on an uphill battle before I even begin running simply because of my shoe laces!!  So I hop back on and I'm ready to roll and I've got to go to the bathroom.  U.G.H.  Really?  This can't be happening.  So I take myself a little bathroom break and get back on the treadmill.  There is about 15 minutes left to go which wasn't too bad.  Only 2 days left! My back hurt REALLY bad when I got off today - not sure what's going on with that, but I feel like it can't be normal.

Wednesday:  Run for 30 minutes - It's all about the mental game now.  Sure my legs get tired and all, but it's all about just running for the next however long.  That's it.  Simply running.  In the beginning I use to pray while I ran which really helped to pass the time, now I use my iPod and skim through a magazine.  The first ten minutes are pure torture just because I know how long there is left to go.  With about 10 or so minutes to go someone hops on the treadmill next to me.  I've seen her before; she works out like crazy as in she really pushes herself.  She usually starts on the elliptical or stair climber and gets all hot and sweaty and then does intervals on the treadmill and then goes back to the elliptical.  My gym is small, as in there are really only like 10 treadmills in the line.  No one else is running and she gets on the one right next to me.  I mean, seriously? But this actually turns out great!  I'm motivated to keep going as long as she is running.  When she walks I want to kill myself because all I want to do is walk.  So I don't have much time left and she begins walking again and I tell her to keep running because it motivates me.  We begin chatting - both of us out of breath - and I end up running for a total of 40 minutes and 2.75 miles.  Simply because I had someone to motivate me.  My goal for my first 5k (other than to finish) is to finish in under 40 minutes so I'm getting there.  The only reason I stopped was because my hip was really hurting.  I finish my workout on the elliptical and in the weights.  I've made a work out friend.  I feel bad because I told her what days I go to the gym which is generally 99% spot on, Monday, Wednesday and Friday while Hannah is at school (who goes to school with said motivators next door neighbor!).  Well, Friday the girls didn't have school so I actually didn't get to the gym until about 10:00 well after when we're both usually there and yesterday, Monday, I didn't show at all *gasp*!!  I think I figured out the back pain problem.  After doing some reading online I found out that I may be leaning forward too much while running which is definitely plausible because I have terrible posture.  I keep an effort on making sure I stand up straighter today and there is ZERO back pain when I'm done running today - yayayay!!

Friday: Run for 30 minutes - THE. FINAL. DAY.  Kept my same pace (4.2mph) until I reached my 30 minutes.  Then I slowly bumped up my speed.  My goal was to get to 2.5 miles and I figured the obvious, the fast I run the quicker I'll get there :)  I didn't quite make the 40 minutes as on Day 2 but I was running faster which is a nice goal to reach.  I can't believe I finished it!  I now have 2 weeks ahead of me before my first 5k. Oh, AND, no back pain today either.  I'm thinking the whole running posture thing was right!

I have to keep setting goals in order to stay motivated.  My first goal is to finish in under 40 minutes so that is what I'll be training for until I reach it.  After that I would ultimately like to reach 30 minutes.  I am going to try to find additional 5K's to run and was able to find the Color Run 5K that I want to do in D.C. in September.  I'm SUPER excited for that one!! Eventually I'd like to do the bridge to 10K, so I want to keep running for longer time periods but I'd like to be covering more distance too.  9 weeks ago the thought of running for 30 minutes at a time seemed like a dream only now it's reality and I'm looking to run even longer - wow!