Running Again*

So, I’ve been running a little bit again.

I’ve been running as often as I can early in the morning before M leaves for work. It’s always dependent oh how much sleep I’ve had the night before (that’s code for: how much sleep P has given me). The last two weeks haven’t been great as P’s been up late and waking in the night, but putting him in with the big kids seems to be helping a bit. Last night he was asleep before 9 and slept straight through. For the first time in two weeks, I didn’t immediately shut off my running alarm and roll over, desperate for another hour of sleep. I grabbed the pile of running clothes I set out for myself and slipped out the door.

I’m at the point in my C25K where my running intervals are really starting to lengthen. If you’re unfamiliar with how a C25K program (Couch to 5k) works, it’s designed to help a total non-runner be able to run 5km in 8 weeks. It takes you through a series of running and walking intervals that gradually get longer and longer until you are no longer walking but running the whole thing. I was so skeptical the first time I did the program after Hank was born four years ago because I was SO out of shape, but I had such success with it. I worked my way through again last summer, but eventually had to stop because my hip issues were really affecting my mobility and I knew I had to deal with that first.

So, when I finally felt ready to run again at the beginning of July, I knew I would need to start from scratch. Again. The first week of intervals start you at running for 60 seconds at a time and it slowly builds you up week by week.

Except for week five.

There is one run in week five that I am always afraid of when I get to it. At the beginning of week 5 you jump from running 5 minute intervals to 8 minute intervals. Those extra three minute feel long, but doable.

Then the next day tells you to run for 20 minutes, with no break. When you’ve just huffed through 8 minutes, 20 feels almost impossible. Every time I’ve come to this run, I balk at it and put it off.

Today I finally ran it.

I not only ran it, I crushed it. I turned on my music, hit the pavement and just kept going. When I heard the voice beep in to tell me I had one minute left in my run, I couldn’t believe it.

So I just kept running. Today I ran 4km for the first time since starting again… and I did it without stopping to walk. I ran for 30 minutes non-stop, and I feel amazing. I’m still pretty slow, but I’m so close to 5km now that I can taste it. My body is slowly shaking off the rust and remembering that we like to do this.

So, rather than be ashamed or embarrassed that I’ve had to start at the beginning and go through this program again, I’m trying to celebrate the small victories and be proud of the fact that rather than giving up, I’m trying again. On to week 6!