Couch to 5k: Week 3, Day 2

As I've really enjoyed being able to read about other people's Couch to 5k runs, I've decided to make at least a brief post after each of mine. This is mostly because I imagine myself, just 6 short weeks from now, having run 30 minutes straight, looking back at my pre-endurance hijinks and having a good laugh. 

Actually, today's run was pretty uneventful, at least on the hijink front. It went really well, which made me happy. I had a chance to run in 56 degree weather at 2:40 when I finished at school, but I felt the beginnings of a headache coming on and decided to take an advil and an hour-long nap. I worried, briefly, right before falling asleep, if I'd wake up without the gumption to do it, but when I finally woke up two and a half hours later, my headache was gone and I was still gung-ho, although the temperature had dropped to 49. I think I needed the sleep though. I woke up this morning at 5:40 to hit the gym, and although I slept about 7 and a half hours last night, something was up. I think I'm fighting a cold.

So I stretched, strapped on my kicks, and headed out a little after 5. I didn't have any lower-leg pain/strange feelings during my first interval, which was unusual but very pleasant. The first 3 minutes were a little hard, but by the second three minute interval I was starting to hit my stride, and although it was a little uphill, it wasn't too bad. I felt like I could have continued. I had a brief debate with myself about whether or not to do a few more intervals--mostly I try to balance my desire to see what I can do and get a little extra cardio in (ice cream cone today shh, don't tell) with my fear of pushing myself too hard. But I felt really good, and I was still 30 minutes from home, so I decided to go again. I intended to just do the first 90 seconds and 3 minutes of running, but then I felt so good that I just did the whole program again! I didn't think it was possible for me to enjoy running, especially when I'm pushing myself, but I sure did today! (Too bad I can't bottle this feeling for Week 4, Day 1, when I want to die.) I even did an extra 90 seconds at the end of my last 3 minute interval, for a total of 4 and half minutes--my longest run yet. 

The only other excitement was the lewd looks I got from the technical high school boys because of my shorts. I HATE running in pants, and my legs, because they're busy, don't usually get cold, so I wear shorts and a windbreaker, which is anathema to Korean people. They just can't handle it. I was standing next to a little Korean girl and her Mom at a stoplight right after I finished my fourth 3 minute interval. The little girl asked me, in Korean, "Aren't you cold?" I declared it a win because I understood her, and reassured her that I was definitely not, in fact, cold.

Someone (I'm terrible because I can't remember who) wrote in their blog about how nice it is to follow the C25k program... just to relinquish the worries and control and do what someone tells you--and I couldn't agree more. I take it a step further by using the podcasts--all I do is put on my iPod and walk outside... coolrunning.com and Robert Ullrey do the rest (Thanks, Rob!) And so far... *keeping my fingers crossed* it's working. We'll see how I feel after my first 10 minute run. :)

I've been aware, all this time, that by choosing to do the C25k program by time rather than distance, I might not be running fast enough to really be training for a 30 minute 5k, but I've sort of been ignoring that fact for the past 3 weeks. I mean, for me it will be an accomplishment, and a great cardio workout, to run 30 minute straight at any speed, and I'm not trying to win the 5k... just finish it. But as I don't really have a good way to measure distances here, I was sort of at a loss for how to remedy the situation. I know I could run on the treadmill, but I've also read horror stories of 1.) how wildly inaccurate the treadmill information can be, and 2.) how poorly that prepares you for actually running the same distance outside. But, yesterday I realized that I could at least get an idea of how fast I'm supposed to be running on the treadmill, and gave it a try... cautiously I'm going to say it doesn't seem that fast. Certainly faster than I've been running, and certainly faster than I'll be running when I have to run a lot longer, but not a million times faster than I've been running, which was my #1 fear. So I figure once a week I'll do one set of intervals on the treadmill, as close to PACE speed as possible, and see how hard it is. That's the plan, anyway. 

On a semi-related note... there's a lot of things I don't like about my gym. 1. They don't have any elliptical machines. 2. The treadmills, despite having instructions on how to raise the incline, don't actually incline. 3. The trainer is really cute, but doesn't speak English, so he mostly just ignores my bad form, and sometimes makes fun of me. 3. At the most convenient hour, the gym is populated entirely with young attractive college-aged Korean guys, who I'm sure take no notice of me, but who intimidate me and make me really self-conscious about sticking my butt up in the air properly during One-Arm Dumbbell Row. Thus, I've taken to going at 6am, which is super-early. 

In conclusion, my Korean gym is nothing like the gleaming, high-tech LA Fitness I had a membership with in Orlando. (I never actually lost any weight when I had that membership, but still...) Today, however, I decided there's one thing I really like about my gym. It's on the third floor, and the first floor is... a bridal shop. (There's also a convenience store--the only one in my town with knock-off Doritos, which is not ideal.) So every time I walk into the gym, I pass a display window with a beautiful bridal gown on a typically Korean-sized (0) model. Her rib cage is, I would estimate, smaller than my thigh. At first, I sometimes found this depressing, but lately I've been taking it in stride, because I just really LIKE looking at wedding stuff, despite my current dearth of boyfriends. And whenever I don't feel like exercising, I look at that dress (it changes about once every two weeks) and think... I don't necessarily need to get in shape to find someone to marry, but I certainly want to be in shape when I get married. I want to be proud of myself, and have pictures I will love looking at. So nowadays it's a boost, rather than a constant reminder of how skinny Korea is. 

And in another news, I'm taking a break from the scale. I'd been contemplating staying off until Saturday, just to see how not weighing in daily works for me... but I couldn't do it. Although I moved it out of sight, I still routinely grabbed it and stepped on it, sometimes 3 times a day. I'm not obsessed with it, and the multiple numbers don't usually affect me negatively (or much at all), but I just didn't like the compulsion, so I tried to remove it. Last night I asked my host mother to hide it, and at first she was just really confused. I pantomimed me getting on it multiple times, with adverse emotional effects, and I think she understood. It's gone, anyway. It's been gone for almost a full day, and I'm not going crazy yet. Only two more days, and then we'll be reunited. 

Wow, this entry ended up being much longer than I thought it would be. Hope you're having a nice day!