Couch to 5K: Running Nonstop

So today, I hit a new best: 25 minutes, non-stop. From here on out, now that we’re in week 7 of the Couch to 5K program… all of our runs are 25 minutes or more.

Gone are the days where we run a bit, walk a bit – it’s all about the large chunks of time. Interestingly enough, I’ve stopped listening to music and I’m now finding that audiobooks and podcasts help distract me a bit better. When I hear music, I try to do a subconscious math in my head, calculating how many songs have passed… and how many more I’ll need to listen to before my time is up.

Liz and I are differing a bit, on our running strategies lately. She’s focusing on distance more, since she’ll be participating in an upcoming 5K. Me? I’m focusing primarily on time, and I’m happy if I can make it 25 minutes without stopping, regardless of how far I go. For me, my biggest issue has always been stamina/endurance.

This morning, I had a pretty decent pace… and though it was tough, I was surprised to have made it all the way to the end. The thought that I’ve done this before kind of helps keep my feet moving, even though my body wants to stop and take a breather.

Currently, I’m listening to Chuck Palahniuk and the audiobook version of his essay collection Stranger than Fiction. Some stories are longer than others, but each averages around 6-7 minutes. It’s been nice to try to lose myself in the listening, even though my brain attempts to figure out approximately how much time I have left to go.

The alarm I use for my runs is the default iPhone “Sonar” sound. It’s also the same sound that triggers, whenever my alarm goes off in the mornings to get me out of bed. Given how happy I am to hear this sound (because it signals the fact that I can stop running), I wonder if I’m slowly conditioning myself to enjoy waking up to it, in the mornings. Anymore, when I hear that alarm I think to myself: Oh, thank God.

Related:
Couch To 5K: Week 6, Trying To Outrun The Cold
Meeting Chuck Palahniuk
Haunted by Guts