Wednesday 5 March 2014

Couch to 5K - Week 4

I have just finished week four of Couch to 5K . This week consists of three runs all of which start with a 5 minute warm up walk followed by two repetitions of  3 minutes running - 90 seconds walking and 5 minutes running - 2.5 minutes walking. This is significant for a few reasons; the first is that total running time goes from 9 minutes to 16 minutes, which is a big step up, and also because the overall 'recovery time' is less than the running time. Although both of these factors seem quite daunting it is fine once you get into it.

The pacing that has been talked about in the first few weeks really comes into play. I find the first 5 minute run the hardest, I am not sure why this is but it could be either; a) I want to subconsciously hold something back, b) I feel better when it is out of the way as I know I am half way there or c) I am not warming up adequately.

The weather here has been really windy for these three jogs with some hail thrown in for good measure. When I made the decision to jog outside in Shetland I knew that I could not worry too much about the weather. Wind is tough to deal with but it feels good when you change direction and get a bit of rest-bite from it. I also struggle to jog when it is too hot so I find the motivation of getting out of the wind good!

I have been given a few tips that have helped and also found out some of my own. I am guilty of not moving my arms enough when jogging so I find wiggling my fingers a little when jogging prompts bigger arm movement and it is becoming habitual now. If I mouth words to a song it can sometimes help me breath as I can get too caught up on breathing 'correctly'. It also makes me smile which, as much of a cliché it sounds, really does help!

No comments:

Post a Comment