Couch to 5K: Week 5, Workout 3 – 20 Minutes

Today was a pretty big day for us. Ever since we started the Couch to 5K program, things have slowly moved up in terms of duration. Mostly, Liz and I have been focusing on time, as opposed to speed or distance.

Week 5 definitely ramped things up, as we’re now doing 8 minute segments. And seemingly out of nowhere, today’s session involved 20 minutes of running, nonstop.

A quick photo, before our run. Liz recently went shopping and got us both some workout clothes. It’s strange to look down and see myself wearing a kind of athletic-y running shirt that purports to keep the sweat away from my skin. I keep thinking that I shouldn’t be wearing something like this, since it’s only for runners… but then I realize, I’m slowly becoming one of those people.

Though it seems silly to brag about this, in light of the Chicago Marathon happening today… I’m still proud to report that we both made it the full 20 minutes, without stopping.

Here’s what totally helped: I looked around online, and many other people had reservations about this particular segment of the program. Many folks were giving the same advice: slow down. Slow it WAY down. So though I looked like a senior citizen with a limp, we kept things slow and I was able to keep one foot moving in front of the other. Time enough to work on speed and distance… for now, my goal is time-based.

Interesting side note: instead of music, I decided to switch over to a podcast. I fired up this segment from the “Trust Me” episode from Snap Judgment.

In the coming weeks, we’ll be running 25, 28 and 30 minute sessions. I wonder if I’ll need to find more podcasts to keep my brain (and body) distracted.

Related:
Couch to 5K: Week 4
Couch to 5K: Soundtrack Changes
Couch to 5K (Without the 5K)