Training Plan - Week 1

Day One - what a lonely, daunting but strangely exhilarating place to be.  All things seem possible if not far off, but I am well aware that I have ALOT of work ahead of me.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I want online and used my research to piece together a starting plan.  For now, I am taking it one week at a time.  All the beginner plans have the caveat that you should be able to run 30 minutes, no matter the pace, without stopping EVEN if you plan to walk and run the event.  Check on that one.  Thanks to my spin habit, I am doing pretty well in the cardio area though it is a drastically different exercise outside of the heart and lungs!

I decided that I would start Monday (today).  I haven't run in months, so I wanted to start at 3 miles and just get a baseline of a time for that, a 5K.  I decided to walk and run in intervals so as to not overdo it for now.  I don't want to waste precious training time with excessive soreness or an injury!!

I settled in on this plan:

Monday - walk/run for 3.1 miles 5 minutes walk then 10 minute run - repeat until done
Tuesday - strength and spin
Wednesday - rest or yoga
Thursday - walk/run for 4 miles with intervals same (5/10)
Friday - Rest
Saturday - spin
Sunday - 3-5 miles depending on how the Monday and Thursday runs go

From there, I'll have a better idea where I am and where I can go for the next week.  It puts me in about week 4 of most 'beginner' plans.  My hope was to set a good pace and then just increase my distance over the next 8 weeks.

How'd it go??

I decided to do my run on the treadmill at the gym.  I haven't mapped any outside runs or found any safe trails nearby yet - though there are tons of options for that and the weather is GREAT! 

Did my warm-up 5 minutes which was a blended speed, jogged (AKA run - but by real standards, I'm not running!  but, we will call it that).  10 minutes, walked 5, ran 10, walked 5 and ran a few more to finish out my 3.1.  Then did a cool down walk after that.

My official time for the 5K was 38:09, putting my pace at just under 12.5 minute miles (blended rate or my walk/run).  It would put me at about 2 hours 43 minutes on race day *IF* I could maintain it for 13 miles.  I really need to better it a bit to allow cushion time for hydration and bathroom delays (if people do that - how can you not go to the bathroom for 3 hours?).  I guess I have some more research to do....I also need to know how much cushion to add for comfort - I DO NOT want the pacer car to be trying to catch me!!!

It wasn't super easy, but it wasn't so bad either.  I could have gone further - at least to 4 or 5 miles with my intervals.  I will have to see how sore I am tomorrow.  I just don't know how/if I can ever make it over that 6 mile hump?!?  Baby steps right - as long as those baby steps are faster than a 14 minute mile pace!