C25K Week 2 Day 1
I am kicking it up the proverbial notch! It's a new week, so I am on to the next set of exercises: five minutes walking, followed by 6 repetitions of alternating 90 seconds running / 2 minutes walking, finished off with another 5 minute walk: A total of 31 minutes.
In total, this meant just 1 minute more of running than what I was doing last week. I am getting a little impatient with the very gradual increase in difficulty, but I am also tired out at the end of each run, so I don't know that I could handle added running time more quickly than I'm already doing. And I trust the C25K program more than I trust myself to know how to improve my strength & endurance.
Just like Sunday, I got a late start, because I was up until 3am watching all 9 episodes of Review (which is very, very funny). So for the second run in a row, I was in the hottest part of the day. That probably tired me out a little faster than I would have been otherwise, but I did get through today's challenge.
There were two tips included in the podcast I was listening to: when jogging,land each step on your heel first, and count out your breaths with each pace (1, 2, 3, 4 in, 1, 2, 3, 4 out). I tried the first step and found that it helped my stride a little bit. I've heard from other people that this is not a safe way to run, though, so I'm not sure if I'll continue with it. I also tried the other tip, but I found it too distracting to focus on my breath in that way. It kept messing with my pacing.
An unoriginal observation: It would be a lot easier to run for distance if I weren't carrying extra weight around.
I like this comic by the Oatmeal: http://theoatmeal.com/comics/running
I want to get the full-length book when it comes out in a few weeks. But I'm still hesitant to assume that I'll even be able to keep up this routine for that long. My flame of my enthusiasm for things usually sputters out like a cheap lighter before long.
Oh yeah: My distance covered during the podcast actually decreased a tiny bit from last time; I did not quite get home before it ended. But it was a different episode, so maybe a shorter time? Anyway, I'm running for endurance & health, not for speed (kind of like Howlin' Wolf).
Playlist
"We need body rockin', not perfection.
Let me get some action from the back section."
Ok, so I listened to tha next episode of the NHS podcast (Thanks, "Laura," for all the British-accented encouragement). But I took some time yesterday on the Labor Day holiday to switch out the music for my own music, using Audacity. It was a pain in the neck to edit the sound this way (especially looking for appropriate music of the right time intervals). I really enjoyed hearing my own tunes, but I don't think it actually improved my experience much. So I don't know if it's worth the effort. I downloaded a free phone app that lets you listen to your own music and keeps track of your running intervals, but the voice is just a simple "start running," "start walking," which feels a little impersonal to me.
What is it with this wishy-washy "on the other hand" writing style? It does accurately reflect my emotions about exercise, but it's the same way I write all the time. I watched too many Woody Allen movies when I was a kid, and not enough, I don't know, Charles Bronson movies.
Anyway, here are the songs I put together. I will probably listen to this version again on Friday, just to feel like my time spent editing sound files was worth it.
1. warmup walk: Paper Planes (Diplo Remix) by m.i.a. featuring bun b & rich boy
2. run 1: Game of Pricks by guided by voices
3. walk 1: Our Deal by best coast
4. run 2: Arco Arena by cake
5. walk 2: The Cure by the nitty gritty dirt band
6. run 3: I Couldn't Believe It Was True by willie nelson
7. walk 3: 5 O'Clock World by the vogues
8. run 4: Meet James Ensor by they might be giants
9. walk 4: Here Comes Your Man by pixies
10. run 5: Just Can't Get Enough (excerpt) by depeche mode
11. walk 5: Hotel Yorba by the white stripes
12. run 6: Body Movin' (excerpt) by the beastie boys
13. walk 6/cooldown: Thieves by she & him
Ohhhh great. "Nowhere to Run" just came up in Windows Media Player (listening to the Billboard Top 100 of 1965).
In total, this meant just 1 minute more of running than what I was doing last week. I am getting a little impatient with the very gradual increase in difficulty, but I am also tired out at the end of each run, so I don't know that I could handle added running time more quickly than I'm already doing. And I trust the C25K program more than I trust myself to know how to improve my strength & endurance.
Just like Sunday, I got a late start, because I was up until 3am watching all 9 episodes of Review (which is very, very funny). So for the second run in a row, I was in the hottest part of the day. That probably tired me out a little faster than I would have been otherwise, but I did get through today's challenge.
There were two tips included in the podcast I was listening to: when jogging,land each step on your heel first, and count out your breaths with each pace (1, 2, 3, 4 in, 1, 2, 3, 4 out). I tried the first step and found that it helped my stride a little bit. I've heard from other people that this is not a safe way to run, though, so I'm not sure if I'll continue with it. I also tried the other tip, but I found it too distracting to focus on my breath in that way. It kept messing with my pacing.
An unoriginal observation: It would be a lot easier to run for distance if I weren't carrying extra weight around.
I like this comic by the Oatmeal: http://theoatmeal.com/comics/running
I want to get the full-length book when it comes out in a few weeks. But I'm still hesitant to assume that I'll even be able to keep up this routine for that long. My flame of my enthusiasm for things usually sputters out like a cheap lighter before long.
Oh yeah: My distance covered during the podcast actually decreased a tiny bit from last time; I did not quite get home before it ended. But it was a different episode, so maybe a shorter time? Anyway, I'm running for endurance & health, not for speed (kind of like Howlin' Wolf).
Playlist
"We need body rockin', not perfection.
Let me get some action from the back section."
Ok, so I listened to tha next episode of the NHS podcast (Thanks, "Laura," for all the British-accented encouragement). But I took some time yesterday on the Labor Day holiday to switch out the music for my own music, using Audacity. It was a pain in the neck to edit the sound this way (especially looking for appropriate music of the right time intervals). I really enjoyed hearing my own tunes, but I don't think it actually improved my experience much. So I don't know if it's worth the effort. I downloaded a free phone app that lets you listen to your own music and keeps track of your running intervals, but the voice is just a simple "start running," "start walking," which feels a little impersonal to me.
What is it with this wishy-washy "on the other hand" writing style? It does accurately reflect my emotions about exercise, but it's the same way I write all the time. I watched too many Woody Allen movies when I was a kid, and not enough, I don't know, Charles Bronson movies.
Anyway, here are the songs I put together. I will probably listen to this version again on Friday, just to feel like my time spent editing sound files was worth it.
1. warmup walk: Paper Planes (Diplo Remix) by m.i.a. featuring bun b & rich boy
2. run 1: Game of Pricks by guided by voices
3. walk 1: Our Deal by best coast
4. run 2: Arco Arena by cake
5. walk 2: The Cure by the nitty gritty dirt band
6. run 3: I Couldn't Believe It Was True by willie nelson
7. walk 3: 5 O'Clock World by the vogues
8. run 4: Meet James Ensor by they might be giants
9. walk 4: Here Comes Your Man by pixies
10. run 5: Just Can't Get Enough (excerpt) by depeche mode
11. walk 5: Hotel Yorba by the white stripes
12. run 6: Body Movin' (excerpt) by the beastie boys
13. walk 6/cooldown: Thieves by she & him
Ohhhh great. "Nowhere to Run" just came up in Windows Media Player (listening to the Billboard Top 100 of 1965).