Couch to 5k complete
Couch to 5k is a 9 week running schedule to take you from being a couch potato to being able to run a 5k. I finished it yesterday, with 3 runs this week, a total of 11.5 miles, at about a 9min/mile pace. I wanted to put some notes about the experience out there, for others that may contemplate it.
I used to be one of the folks that said “I’m not made for running.” As counterpoint to that, see this academic paper from Harvard (PDF) that covers the physiological aspects of the human body that supports long distance running, or watch the TED video on the same subject. None of us are such mutants as to buck that evolutionary trend.
Granted, this was at least the 3rd time I had started the program. Earlier attempts were cancelled due to shin pain in the 4-5th week. This time, I was careful to follow the program diligently (don’t try to skip days or breaks), and I was also conscious to avoid running in a heel-strike manner.
One of the most unexpected experiences from the program was that by week 3, I was actually looking forward to the next run. I had assumed I’d have 9 weeks of will power battles to get off my butt, but it quickly became a desirable diversion from work.
By halfway through the program I was noticeably more energized later into the day for other activities, even on non-running days. Before c25k, I had a theoretical understanding of the effects of exercise on energy levels, now it’s concrete. I no longer see exercise as taking time away from other activities, it’s actually time neutral when accounting for increased productivity in other parts of the day.
Although I run alone, I had a good support network. A good friend is a maniac marathoner, and he is very supportive of all the incremental progress. Several Facebook friends are vocal about their running achievements. Knowing both my sister and sister-in-law have completed the program also drove to me to join their good company.
While my primary motivation in running is a convenient form of cardiovascular exercise, as I’m starting there’s a related goal for weight loss. I’m keeping things simple there: the running burns additional calories, and I’m coupling it with reduced caloric intake. With those two strategies, I’m at a pace of almost 2lbs/week. I’m using Lose It!, a calorie counter app, just for better awareness of which foods come with more or less energy.
I had a one week hiatus before week 9. I ended week 8, and had 3-4 days of extreme lower back and flank pain. I could sit OK, but standing straight or walking more than 100 feet was grueling. Fortunately, there is Cheryl Larson, a Rolfing and structural integration practitioner in Duluth. She identified the pain source as coming from my kidneys that had dropped out of place, a side effect of my body adjusting to the weight loss, rather than the running. She worked on my lower abdominal area for one session, loosened everything up, and put the kidneys back the right spots, and I was good to go. (I’m so thankful she had a session open up in the same week – she is in demand enough that her schedule is booked out almost 2 solid months. Perhaps we should stop referring family and friends to her…)
I have not entered any races. Heading into the winter season, there just aren’t many around. I’m not ruling out the possibility, but it’s not a motivating factor. If I find myself slipping out of the habit, I may have to pick one simply to have a training goal.
To relate this all the to the blog title, as a software developer that’s enamored with iterative development that focuses on the “the next most valuable feature,” the c25k schedule was intuitive. The first week’s “value” is focused simply on getting you out there, having early success of “Hey, I did a run!” (even if the majority of the time is spent in the walking intervals), to the mid schedule of having enough endurance to run a majority of the time, to the final weeks of simply running for greater and greater durations.
That about covers my experience and insights. Obviously, I’d highly recommend this program to friends that want a way to start into an exercise program. There just aren’t that many excuses not to!
