Getting Fit Again!~Couch to 5K

*Note these pictures are from "back in the day". My hope is to be as active as I once was. 

And I wouldn't mind taking a family excursion back out west. 

   Let's just say, I am not much of a fan of running. I ran cross country in high school. But I was always one of the last runners to make it to the finish line. And I have run in my adult years off and on, not so much out of enjoyment, but rather to try keep active and fit. I always preferred biking and hiking. 
   The past 5 years however have been quite a slump for me. Until recently I hadn't the energy nor drive to do much besides get up, feed the family, get the necessary chores done (maybe) and try to be the happy and fun mom I desired to be. But that is another story all together. (I will be posting my health journey soon). 
   So things have changed! Yay for change with more energy and determination. And with that has come new goals AND a challenge from the hubs to do a 5K. Honestly, this is a challenge that I am not super excited to do. But I love my man and want to step up to his challenge. And maybe the "feelings" will follow. So I hear that is often how it goes. That has worked for me in the past. And I know when I have gotten out recently and walked, the endorphin producing exercise has given me a spring in my step.

   So we have a challenge, we have chosen an event~ A Midsummer Night's Run. Now all we need is a plan to get us there! I have chosen the Couch to 5K running plan. As the name implies with the words couch (as in couch potato), it starts out slowly to reduce the risk of injury, derailing you or even ending your running career before it ever gets started. This program will condition your body incrementally to running instead of the shock of running a mile on day 1. Stick with this program! Even if it seems monotonous, it will pay dividends in the end.

   So here it is: 

Week 1

Day 1~ Run 1 min, Walk 2 min, 8X

Day 2~ Run 1 min, Walk 2 min, 6X

Day 3~ Run 1 min, Walk 2 min, 10X

Week 2

Day 1~ Run 2 min, Walk 2 min, 7X

Day 2~ Run 2 min, Walk 2 min, 6X
Day 3~ Run 2 min, Walk 2 min, 8X

Week 3
Day 1~ Run 3 min, Walk 2 min, 6X
Day 2~ Run 3 min, Walk 2 min, 5X
Day 3~ Run 3 min, Walk 2 min, 7X

Week 4
Day 1~ Run 5 min, Walk 3 min, 4X
Day 2~ Run 5 min, Walk 3 min, 3X
Day 3~ Run 5 min, Walk 3 min, 5X

Week 5
Day 1~ Run 8 min, Walk 3 min, 3X
Day 2~ Run 7 min, Walk 2 min, 3X
Day 3~ Run 8 min, Walk 3 min, 3X

Week 6
Day 1~ Run 9 min, Walk 3 min, 3X
Day 2~ Run 8 min, Walk 2 min, 3X
Day 3~ Run 10 min, Walk 3 min, 3X

Week 7
Day 1~ Run 15 min, Walk 5 min, 2X
Day 2~ Run 15 min, Walk 5 min, Run 10 min
Day 3~ Run 20 min, Walk 5 min, Run 15 min

Week 8
Day 1~ Run 20 min, Walk 5 min, Run 15 min
Day 2~ Run 10 min, Walk 3 min, Run 20 min
Day 3~ Run 5k Event

Note: On Day 1 repeat the Run and Walk intervals 8 times (x8) and on Day 2 repeat 6 times (x6) and so on

As you can see above the c25k is a 3 day a week program. Choose any 3 days of the week, but make sure you don't run consecutive days.
Start and finish each workout with a 5 minute walk. This warms up your muscles before a run and allows your tired muscles to recover after a run as well as it's a good injury prevention.
On non-running days consider cycling or swimming as part of your cross training - but remember to have one day of complete rest every week

Just a few Running Tips:

• Begin the program once you can walk comfortably for an hour – if you can’t, don’t fret! Just work your way up to walking first. Then start the program. :)

• You obvious target is a 5K run in 8 weeks. However you can take longer if you are finding the pace to difficult. Just repeat a week rather than miss a week. Or, If there is a particular event for which you are training, try doing 50% to 75% of the run times.

• If you don't have a smart phone (like me~yes I actually have a "dumb phone" aka old school talk and text) to tell you how far you've run, plan to run 30 minutes non-stop instead of a 5K target

• Improve your diet & Supplement– even if your just starting out, the food you eat can be the difference between having the energy to complete your daily goals or loosing motivation to get up off the couch. So if you think the nutrition you are getting might need a tweak here and there (or maybe even an overhaul), now is a great time to start.

• Push yourself! – remember that starting up a new exercise routine is never easy. Don’t give up without a fight....Push through! As you reach your daily goals you will feel great about the accomplishment and most likely will get a nice surge of endorphins which will give a sensation of happiness. :) And who wouldn't want that?

• Reward yourself! What more motivating than knowing there is a prize for hitting your goal? Treat yourself once you have achieved the goal. Just make it something that really counts so you will be excited about pushing through to the end.