So here’s the thing about this lovely C25k program. I keep hearing stories about people quitting in Week 4 or 5 and I’m like, “WHY? I’m liking this, I feel GREAT.”
Yeah. I found out why this weekend.
On Friday, after my lovely little “go team!” post, I ran Week 5/Day 2 which consists of two 8 minute runs with a 5 minute walk into between. I’d been prepared for these and as such I decided to repeat the last days of Week 4 and Day 1 of Week 5 so that I might feel ready. And so Friday, I was SO ready. I was all, “Yeah. Bring it.”
Y’ALL. It got BROUGHTEN. That sh*t was not as fun as I wanted it to be. I mean, it’s only 8 minutes, but seriously, it was a bit of a beating around 6 minutes and 45 seconds. My body was all, “DUDE, I wanna STOP,” and I was all “EFF YOU, WE’RE DOING THIS!”
So I did it. And I was tired, but not broken. And I was excited because I knew I’d be prepared for Day 3. I would kick Day 3 in the butt. I would do unspeakable things to Day 3. I would OWN Day 3.
Until I looked at Day 3.
20 minutes, uninterrupted.
As in 20 minutes, no walking.
20 minutes of straight running.
SERIOUSLY? TWENTY MINUTES?!? I HATE YOU COUCH TO 5K!!!
But before I fell to my knees and started screaming, “NOOOOOOOO!!!!!” while shaking my fist at the sky, I stopped. Yes, this would possibly suck. But I’d spent 5 weeks not dying. Longer than that, actually. Was I REALLY going to let some stupid program make me lose that momentum? Was I going to be beaten by a 20 minute run? Did I spend all that time huffing and jiggling down a asphalt track to let a workout that I hadn’t even attempted best me?
NO, M’AM.
So I spent Saturday doing crafty things and completely ignoring the fact that I had nearly a half an hour of running to do the next day. I so was not going to let this beat me. I could do this. And if I died, I have excellent life insurance.
Sunday morning started as usual; bright streaming sunlight and a puppy that has to pee pacing our bedroom and sighing. As I took Maggie out for her morning constitution, I noticed that it wasn’t too hot. It was supposed to (and did) get up to a high of 95, so I probably should go running right then. And before I talked myself out of it, I put on my clothes, strapped on my running shoes, glaring at my snoring husband and then walked out the door.
As I was stretching I remembered that I meant to put P!nk’s “Trouble” on my running playlist. It used to be my “getting ready to go out” song that I would play as I applied mascara and decided between the blue or green boob-shirt, so I figured it would be a fun motivating song. Plus, the woman is kind of awesome. Does her thing, takes no crap AND looks amazing in a glitter body-suit while spinning in silks at a major awards show. My kind of chick. While downloading, I realized that P!nk’s Greatest Hits (So Far) was a pretty bad-ass album, so I downloaded the rest and added a few more of her songs to the running list. P!nk and I would get through this 20 minute run, together.
Yeah. We bad.
My girl and I started and it was a typical run. Tough, but not hard, the first few minutes and easier as it went on. I wasn’t hearing any prompts, but I realized that I kind of liked that; I could focus on my body and the music rather than try to calculate how much further I had to go. I keep my playlist on shuffle, but I kept flipping through so I could get to songs like “Stupid Girl” and “There You Go”. P!nk was keeping me going and I was appreciative. I kept wanting to check my time but I didn’t, just so I could be surprised when my little runner lady popped up and said, “You have one more minute left. Keep going! You’re almost there!”
Except she didn’t. Not even once. Finally I slowed to a walk and checked my time, just to make sure that I hadn’t stopped the timer somehow.
I hadn’t. Apparently, I hadn’t STARTED it.
SH*T.
When I first started my run, I had paused it shortly after beginning so I could adjust my arm strap. And never re-started it. Not only did I not get any encouragement, I had no idea how long I’d run.
This sucked.
After going through my playlist, I figured out that based on the duration of the songs that I heard (the ones I could remember), I’d run for about 27 minutes. Which was GREAT. Except, I didn’t have my perky runner lady denoting the time. I was so prepared to be proud of myself when I neared the end of my run, but I felt like I robbed myself of that. It was like running a race and winning, but only finding out later, after you’d showered and changed.
Boo.
I know, it’s silly and I’ve gotten over it (a little) but I wanted the fanfare in my head, dammit! Instead of being something that I DID, it was just something that happened. And that kinda blew…
At least I know I can do it. So yay for me. I kicked Day 3’s in the butt. You hear that, Week 6?!? I’m comin’ for ya….
So how about you guys, how’s your program going?
Kind of a Mess 
Giving you fanfare right here!!! Awesome job. That sh*#t is hard and you literally rocked it. Good for you !
Thank you! And the best part? I totally wasn’t more sore than usual yesterday! I think I might do okay with this running thing….
Too funny – I had the same thought recently when I hit that day of the C25K. Twenty minutes! It just comes out of nowhere! And beware, it gives you a break for a few days and then there’s TWENTY-FIVE minutes of running. But I did it, much to my surprise, and I know you will too! Pink definitely helps. As does Pat Benatar.
25? I’m telling you, no wonder people quit….
Oooo, Pat Benatar! Love IS a battlefield, you know.
DUDE! You ran for (at least) 27 minutes!
Fanfare! With confetti!
*dances around in confetti*
WOOO!
*gets it in her mouth and has a coughing fit*
I totally get the desire for the internal fanfair! Remember when I accidentally ran 5K? OK, you probably don’t, but it took me a few days to get excited about the fact that I did it, because I had no real proof. I get it. But yeah anyway!!!
It’s all about the music, I find. When I really need a boost, it’s Footloose or vintage Madonna. When I’m really struggling, like I want to lay down and die and don’t care that my body may not be found for a few days, it’s the Beastie Boys Sabatage.
No, I totally remember!! Though I wish I would have remembered on Sunday. I would have been like, “ARIEL! Guess what I just did!!!”
Aw, man. I get how you could feel robbed – but you still kicked day 3’s @ss!!
Also, P!nk’s Trouble was MY getting-read-to-go-out/boob-shirt-picking song, too! Her music always gets me revved up.
YES! We would have been SO hot in our boob-shirts and our P!nk-inspired confidence. (Bolstered with a couple of cocktails, of course….)
Yay for YOU!!!! That is really really awesome. And, I’d just like to point out that you ran 27 minutes when you didn’t have that “perky” voice scooting you along. Maybe you don’t need the voice?? Maybe it’s getting in the way of your zen running experience!
It might be! I’m going to try it today and see if I like having the internal cues turned off….
RAAAHHH 27 mins! *confetti and balloons* but I do get the feeling of sort of being robbed.. my watch is long broken, so I don’t ever get any credit on non-race runs (probably why I rarely DO non-race runs anymore), but when I had a timer on my wrist I would get Rilly Mad when I forgot to turn it on. Even though I knew the time when I started, and when I stopped, I didn’t know the Exact time, down to the seconds. and those seconds are a big deal. but way to kick day 3’s patootie!
I’m not too familiar with the C25K program, but it seems carazay that you jumped from 8 mins to 20 mins! that’s kind of mean!
I know! It was like hanging out with someone really nice and funny and then suddenly having them punch you in the gut and you’re like, “Wha..?!?” and they’re all “SUCKA!!!”
Or something like that….
WOW, alyssa! congrats for real. i’ve done that before with other running programs…forget to hit start…or isaiah will get off of our treadmill and not reset the time so when I look down I see “67:32” or something and I have no idea what time I started at. WORST. but you are doing great moving forward and it’s BITCHIN’ that you were able to figure out how much time you had run for!
Thanks! I credit that to P!nk, if I hadn’t kept switching to her songs, I would have had no idea which ones to add up.
I am SO close to switching to WW, I just haven’t yet. How are y’all doing with it?
Dude, I am SO impressed with you!! Seriously, You RAWK.
I’ve signed up for a 10k at the end of October (you know … motivation), and I’m a little terrified at the training schedule. But, it starts May 30th, whether I like it or not.
I’ll come back to this post when I’m feeling like quitting. =)
10k?? That’s SO FAR…
But you’ll be bad-ass. Keep me up to date on it!
YAY!
*confetti*
*trumpets*
*balloons*
You are inspiring me to actually start this.
DO IT!!!!
Or at least try it. Running might not be your thing, but I didn’t think it was mine either…
So you realize that you blew past your goal without really noticing it? I think that might be a bigger triumph than an uppity British lady telling you about it. You’re so badass you don’t even notice!
I have longed to be nonchalantly bad-ass all my life. To be bad-ass and have people point it out and I’m like, “Oh, that little thing. It was nothing…”
Leave it to me to be SO nonchalantly bad-ass that even I don’t notice.
Maybe the squirrels noticed. There were lots of squirrels out that day, maybe they noticed I was amazing… 🙂
Cheers! That is awesome!
OH my god. I want to cry for you. I got a little panicky just reading this. This reminds me of the time that I found the PERFECT pair of grey pants.. PERFECT. And I got them hemmed and they were expensive grey pants and they fit SO WELL and I followed all of the washing instructions except they got bundled in the wash and I didn’t see them when I put them in the dryer and when I took them out they were TOO SHORT. AFTER HEMMING. I laid flat down on my bed, my face jammed into the comforter and literally wailed. I threw my own little fit, right there in my room, at age 21. That is what I want to do right now after reading this. HOLY GOD THAT IS BULLSHIT.
But I love you so much for sticking it out and ROCKING that shit.
Hi there. Just ran my first 20 minutes straight. It felt so good!!! I’m not doing the c25k … More of go-for-a-run if I have time kinda thing. Since I work full time and have 2 kids.
I need to loose the baby weight !!! Thanks for inspiring me!
Wow, I’m still on Week 2, moving to Week 3 and the jump from 90 seconds to 3 minutes running scares me. 8 minutes to 20 minutes! That’s terrifying.
You pulled some jeddi mind tricks there, incredible work Alyssa. Absolutely kick ass! !