Cto5k Series: Where are you Running?
Posted: April 4th, 2011 | Author: Roni | Filed under: cto5k, FitBloggin'11 | 7 Comments »As we embark on our third week of 5k training I’m curious…. WHERE are you running?
I know when I started it was all about the treadmill. There was something comforting about seeing the minutes and mileage right there on display. However, once I took the leap to running outside I never looked back. Nothing beats hitting the pavement on a beautiful spring day.
So if you haven’t already, consider taking the leap to outside running. Even if it’s just one of these workouts this week…
Week 3 – 4/3/2011
- Workout 1
- Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following: 1.) Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds) 2.) Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds) 3.) Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes) 4.) Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)
- Workout 2
- Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following: 1.) Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds) 2.) Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds) 3.) Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes) 4.) Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)
- Workout 3
- Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following: 1.) Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds) 2.) Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds) 3.) Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes) 4.) Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)
Now let’s check in with Mara and see how she’s doing…
Ugh. This week was HARD. Well, it started out hard. My knee started feeling a little weak bit during my first workout this week, and I’ve been having to take extra care (icing/arnica/stretching etc.) to make it through the week. However, on Saturday I had the extreme pleasure of being joined my youngest sister for our run around our hometown. It was sunny, the company was wonderful, and getting to spend time with her was definitely the highlight of my week. It also made me realize how fun running with someone else can be! For those of you who are running with me, I’m curious – do you run alone or with friends?
(Note: Mara is the writer behind the body-image blog, Medicinal Marzipan, and she is sharing her training with us weekly.)
What a great question Mara! I also like running with partners now and then but I must admit, I love my time outside alone best.
Finally, let’s check in with New Balance and Holly Perkins. Holly has some great advice for us this week!
This week you will get to run for 3 minutes non-stop. While 3 minutes doesn’t seem long, it is a new stimulus on your body. An interesting factoid: it takes the human body 2 full minutes to fully adapt to any change in exercise stimulus. So at the 2 minute mark while running this week, you’ll see exactly how challenging your running speed is on your body. Then, because you get to run for 1 more minute (3 minutes in total), your body is fully subjected to this new physical challenge. Again, even if you know you could run longer, it’s important to stick to the running program as dictated here.
Another fun factoid: Many people think that they get fit during any given workout. But the truth is, the goal of the workout is to fatigue the body beyond its current abilities. Then, it is during recovery that your body actually becomes fit. Therefore, you want to challenge yourself during workouts, but also ensure quality recovery time for the body to rebuild, restructure and “remodel”. This week, be sure to get high quality sleep of at least 7 hours per night.
OK, your turn: Are you a treadmill or outside runner? Do you like to run alone or with friends? Inquiring minds want to know! 
*Workouts based on the The Couch-to-5K ® Running Plan
