Couch to 5K: Week 7

Week 7 of the program, which I finished today, has a consistent schedule. 3 runs, all following this format:

1. 5-minute warm up walk
2. 25-minute run
3. 5-minute cool-down walk

The first one was excruciating. Having done the same 25-minute run on Week 6 Run 3, I went into it expecting to get through relatively easily. But things didn’t go my way. I had made a small variation to my route, which had me running over small stretch of road with a slight incline towards the end. This didn’t help at all. By the end of the 25 minutes, I felt I like I was dragging two logs along. My legs had given up.

I managed to finish the run, but I didn’t feel good after it. I decided to take two rest days before my next run (I normally only take one), which turned out to be a good idea. Week 7 Run 2 was still challenging, but I finished it without a hitch. I took the same route, and there was a slight drizzle, yet I managed to run faster than I had before. Most importantly I felt good after—tired, but calm, like I had done something good for the body and the mind.

I’m beginning to realise that this is the feeling I’m chasing when I run now. The physical exhaustion almost always gives way to a sense of mental respite. Even with the music in my ears, I work things out in my head while I’m running: bits of CSS for my new website, plans for a holiday, the perfect email for a customer I’ve been dreading responding to, what to get The Good Lady for her birthday—these are all things I worked out in my head while running over the past two weeks. Tasks big and small. I seem to think clearer when I run.

Run 3, which I just finished, went well. I changed my route again, just a little bit. The elevation gain overall was very similar to the last two runs and I managed to power through it comfortably.

We had two friends over yesterday for some food. They invited us to a Parkrun. I don’t think I’m ready for that just yet; running in the presence of a large gathering of people makes me anxious. But I will join them for one—maybe more than one—very soon. I have two more weeks to go in the Couch to 5K programme, and after that, a “5K improvement plan” scheduled on Runna. I’m excited for it all.

Follow my Couch to 5K progress here.