COUCH to 5K

So… I joined a Couch to 5k “training” group at work.  When I read the email that was eliciting people to join the group, I wrongfully assumed that it was… you know… COUCH to 5k training.  It does give you 8 weeks to get from not doing much of anything to flying your way through a 3 mile race.

That was probably not a great assumption.

I had my doubts the first week when the “this is the training you should be doing this week” document.  The first week of STARTING to train for a 5k, you were supposed to walk as a warm up for 5 minutes.  Then you are supposed to JOG for a minute and walk for 1.5 minutes… repeat 7 times.

Week 2… Jog 1.5 minutes and then 2 minutes of walking… repeat 5 times.

This week… 1.5 min job, 1.5 min walk, 3 min jog, 3 min walk… repeat twice.

I remember when I STARTED “running” the first time… and I walked  one driveway… jogged one driveway… walked one driveway… jogged one driveway around our Cul De Sac.  It was all I could do to get around the loop once.  I have been trying to train for the past two months… and I still can’t jog a minute and a half let alone three minutes.  I’ve managed to work my way up to 90 seconds walk 30 seconds jog or 120 seconds walk and 30 seconds jog and I’ve managed to get my time down to 13.5 min mile to 14 min mile.

I guess maybe I’m not cut out to get off the couch?

I don’t think I could have gotten worked from couch to 1 minute jog to 1.5 min jog to 3 min job in three weeks with only working out three times a week.

I looked at my C25K app and I guess that is the training they espouse, also… but… I don’t know… I guess maybe people like me aren’t supposed to be the ones using these apps.  At umpteen dozen pounds overweight and RA and… and… and.. I guess maybe I am really not the target audience for this…

I know that I should never have sunk the money into the app that goes down the same path.  I feel really good with the progress I’m making… I know I won’t be running the 8k or the half in 2 weeks.  I know I won’t be running the challenge in February but I’m confident that I’m going to be able to finish all of the races without having to crawl across the finish line.

I’m feeling much better than I have in a long time… I won’t beat myself up for this… but it really does make me think about what the definition of COUCH to FIVE K means… In 8 weeks, I don’t know how practical it is to go from doing nothing to running for three miles outright.