My newest form of insanity.....

What I've been up to the past four weeks...

I've been posting my progress in the Couch to 5K program on their forums (www.C25K.com)... I'm so relieved to have survived four weeks straight, I figured I'd post today's report here, too. Four weeks down, five to go --- assuming I can live that long! ;) LOL

For the uninitiated - Couch to 5K is exactly what it sounds like... a training program designed to transform us pathetic couch potatoes into actual... *gasp* RUNNERS (or something like it) in nine weeks. Theoretically, assuming I survive, by the end of Week 9, I should be able to jog for 30 minutes staright - or 5k - or ideally, 5k in thirty minutes, LOL. I'll be happy with any of the above. ha! So far I haven't needed to repeat any weeks, but next week, Week 5 (and each week thereafter) is successively more brutal, so that may change. Whatever... will just keep plugging away at it, slowly but surely. They have these nifty lill free podcasts you download that tell you when to walk and when to run (or shuffle slowly, in my case), offering cheery little encouragements like, "Time for your second five-minute run! Ready? You can do it!!!!!!" (To which I mentally reply, "DIE SCUMBAG, DIE!!!! ARRRGH!"). Ahem. ;)

Anyway, week four consisted of three days (done on Mon, Wed & Fri) of the following:

5 minute warmup walk
3 minute jog
90 second walk
5 minute jog
3 minute walk
3 minute jog
90 second walk
5 minute jog
5-minute cooldown walk

Anyway, here's my ramblings from C25K forum re: today:

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YAY! Week Four is OVER! :) Gypsy [my dog] & I lived thru another one, lol. I woke up late, and, having taken something to help me sleep last night, felt reeeeaaaaallllly groggy and most decidedly did NOT want to crawl outta the bed and drag myself to the park. But I did anyway, LOL.

I got there late - like 6:00 - at least 30 mins later than usual, ugh. Oh well. Gypsy & I started off after a brief stretching session. Actually, it was a bit too brief... Since i had to be at work early and was running late, I only stretched about half the time I usually do. (Don't worry, my legs yelled at me quite thoroughly and advised me of their displeasure!)

Nothing remarkable about this workout, except that I did pick up the pace for the very, very last minute of the very last five-minute jogging interval. Went from excruciatingly slow shuffle to somewhat faster shuffle. Hoped to keep that pace for the whole sixty seconds, but didn't quite make it; had to slow down 15-20 seconds before end of last minute back to my usual turtle-slow shuffle, lol. But hey - it's progress, no matter how tiny, and I'll take it. :)

Managed to get all the way around the track three times, which, according to the signs posted, equals one mile. Woohoo!

I was wondering off & on how I am going to survive next week, when the program kicks it up a notch or twelve...can I really do three five-minute runs on Monday? and really do two eight-minute runs on Wednesday?? And most of all, can I *really* do a whole entire 20-minute run straight thru on Friday? Or will I need to repeat a day or two, or even the whole week???

Stay tuned till next week to find out!!!! [insert dramatic soap opera "cliffhanger" music here...]