Today was the day all my Couch to 5k preparation for the last few months came in handy. My first str8 run, 20 whole mins. I’ve been looking forward to and dreading this day all week.
Is it wrong that I said a silent prayer and made the sign of the cross before the run began?
Is it even more wrong that I just lied about praying and making the sign of the cross?
Dammit.
I’m already on the slow boat to hell for a whole host of human transgressions, I s’pose I just speeded my trip up a tad.
Anyhooozle, back to the run.
Sure I’ve waxed poetic about running before. But this was different. For one, there was absolutely no rush. The other Couch to 5k jaunts went so quick, I didn’t quite enjoy the process if building up my stamina as much as I was barreling through each week to tick it off my exercise checklist.
But first things first, before I run, I had to have my iPod filled w/enough tunes so I didn’t have to watch the clock and enough beat, to keep my hype. These are the little diddies I chose:
* Finale B – Rent Soundtrack
* Encore – Linkin Park & Jay Z
* Ceremony – New Order
* I’m Not Okay = My Chemical Romance
* Mr. Brightside – The Killers
* Under Pressure – Queen
* How to Save a Live – The Fray
I made a mental note when Under Pressure came on, I was almost done, but made the stupid mistake of looking @ the clock during I’m Not Okay…11 minutes done (6 ran) 14 mins to go.
I do think I ran in and out of conscious. It wasn’t so much hard, like my lungs and legs weren’t screaming, as it was laborious. I felt every single on of the excess lbs on my body.
The good thing about stretching out Couch to 5k, doing each week for an entire month is, I had the stamina, today it was just mental and being that I can’t run w/my eyes closed to focus on the music, I had to trust that when Under Pressure came on, I’d be almost done. I forgot I had one last song and was so pumped to hear How to Save a Life, I renamed it How to Save My Run…lol
No clapping or patting myself on the back when I was done, I was in a public gym after all, but a DRENCHED t-shirt was enough sign of a job well done. The next run, will be back down to 5 mins w/3 min walks. Then the 8 min run that almost took me out this week, will seem a tad easier then next week when I do the next 20 min run, I have the strength of completely this 20 min jaunt in one swoop, w/o stopping or walking to motivate me.
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