From Couch to 5k (Part II)

In my previous post, I talked about getting from the couch to ALMOST running a 5k.  I briefly mentioned the importance of inspiration, motivation, accountability, discipline, and time.  Those are important for getting ready to run a 5k.  However, good intentions without the step doesn’t get you anywhere.  Til now, I’ve been talking about getting yourself ready to run a 5k.  Now it’s time to take steps towards running that 5k.

When you're done with the preparation, you need to take your steps into creating a habit for yourself to follow. Everyone has a different fitness level.  Because of the different level everyone is at, each training regiment is different from each other.  What's similar is the goal.  Their goal is to run from the couch to 5k.

In order to get to the point where you can run a 5k, you need to use the time to go out and run.  Listen to your body, take care of it, and understand where it is.  Some people are active enough to go out and run a mile while others have a harder time to run that, and will have to do the mile in a run/walk fashion.  Build a habit and run. 3-4 times a week is a must, 6 being the maximum.  Ideally, it'd be great if you run in the morning, but every  run counts, no matter what time of day.  Take that time, and run.  It's good to run each run with a goal.  At first, your goal would be to finish and accomplish your goal.  It could be 1 mile, it could be 10 minutes, but it's important that you create your own goal.  Letting other people know about your goals gives you that extra pressure to go on, and it helps you make sure this isn't a one night stance with running, but a beginning of a relationship.  Like all relationships, you start your runs slow, and keep it consistent.

Consistency keeps a relationship going, and when you run, you have to be consistent.  Everyone is different and goes at it with a different speed.  Go slow, and go easy, take your time, and make sure you know what's going on and be in control.  Training is different for each individual, but when we're talking about generalities, it's all the same.  Step by step, you build that relationship til it's strong.  If you want to go beyond a 5k, it's all the same.  You take it easy, and you keep on going, consistently working to bettering that relationship, you can reach whatever goals you want.  The moment you overstep your boundaries, you get hurt.  Figure out what you can and can't do early in the game, and the rest would be a breeze.  I'm not here to tell you a for sure way of getting in shape.  I'm here to encourage you to look at your goals and see what you can do to achieve that.

Today, I ran 7.00 miles in 57:35, an 8:13 min/mile average time.  I was aiming at going 10:00, running slow, but unfortunately, I've been training at a faster pace, so my body is used to running at that pace. I'm going to have to work hard to change my running and run slower.  It's going to be a working progress.  Knowing my body, I need to develop that slow running, and work to getting it down.  The 12 hour race is going to be taxing, and knowing myself, I might end up running too fast at the beginning, and losing it at the end.  In order to prevent that from happening, I'm going to have to work hard.  Looking at this, training for a 12 hours race is the same as training for a 5k.  Look at yourself, know yourself, and move according to what you can do, and practice and train according to how you want to perform.