Light at the end of the tunnel

One thing that makes an endeavor like this possible, despite any instances of your subconscious trying to sway you, is to have a goal in mind outside of simply finishing the program. My goal is compete in the GROW Africa 5k Run/Walk on September 24th in Cape Coral, Fl. Assuming I'm able to complete the program in just 9 weeks, I should be done by the last week of July which would give me a little over a month to train further for the 5k. That's my light at the end of the tunnel. What's yours?

Week 1 Day 1 (W1D1)

Tonight I completed W1D1 of the C25k program. For those not familiar with the program, each week is comprised of 3 days of running/walking. In the first week, you begin with a 5 minute warmup walk which is followed by alternating 60 seconds of running with 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes. You finish with a 5 minute cool-down walk. The difficulty of the program is increased each week and culminates with you being able to run a 5k.

In total, I went about 2.4 miles during tonight's exercise. I haven't done any sort of exercising in a long time so, going into it, I wasn't sure what to expect. I thought I'd be able to finish it but that I'd be very sore at the end and, potentially, out of breath. Thankfully, the opposite was true; to some extent. At the end of the first 2 or 3 "heats" (60 seconds of running), I could feel a tightening and burning sensation in my shins and calves that got progressively worse. However, after the 4th heat, the pain remained the same and eventually got duller as the exercise went on.

By the time I reached the cool-down walk I could feel it in my shins and calves but I wouldn't say I actually felt pain. I guess the best description would be the burn after a good workout where you know that you woke the muscles up and did things right. I was also fine with my breathing. As I ran and walked, I regulated my breathing to a slow breath in and a slow breath out. At the end, I was still breathing fairly close to how I normally do so I'm taking that as a sign that I'll be able to do this program if I keep my mind to it.

I'm planning to tackle W1D2 on Tuesday or Wednesday evening and you can bet a post that may not be seen by anyone not related to me will be here shortly after. Thanks for reading.

Here's a map view of the course I took today:

First things first

I've contemplated the idea of getting myself back into shape quite a bit over the past year but I keep pushing it to the side, saying I'll get to it sooner or later. Over that time, I've developed a bit of a beer gut. Not so much a belly, but a little pouch that goes out about an inch or two. It could be worse, but I don't want to let it reach that point. Instead, after talking to various runners and doing some research, I've decided enough is enough. It's high time I take the first step toward getting myself into shape.

While doing some research on the topic of running, I stumbled across the C25K, or Couch to 5k, program. Basically, it's a 9 week workout program where one goes from a sedentary lifestyle to being able to participate in a 5k. Ideally, I'll be able to run the whole thing. For detailed information on the program, check out this site:

www.c25k.com

I will be updating this blog, at the very least, after every exercise section is completed. At the end of it all, I'll hopefully be prepared to participate in a 5k. At that point I will be posting information about the event and my experience with it. To anyone who ends up taking the time to read this: thank you. This blog will serve as my journal throughout the program and, hopefully, inspiration for someone else to start it themselves.