All you need for C25K

The Couch to 5 K running program is simple. All you need is:

1. go to Cool Running, read through the article & print out the table so you can plan & track your progression.

Or you can just go in blind & not pay attention to what is coming up until you hear it through your headphones (see #2). That worked for me when I was hitting the first long runs. I was all WHAT? ALREADY? HUH? And I just went and did it whereas if I'd known in advance I'd have been obsessing about it. And probably procrastinating.....

You can read more about C25K and how it got started here: No Pain, No Pain - C25K and Humane Design. (don't belive the No Pain. If you're a 43 yo out of shape woman like me, you'll feel pain.)

(note: there are two ways of doing C25K: distance or time. If you go for distance, you'll really need to use a marked track & you'll need to count your intervals. This method will get you running 5K (but not necessarily in 30 minutes). The second method involves doing time intervals. If you do it this way, you can download podcasts which will tell you when to run and walk, or you can keep track with your own watch. This method will get you running 30 minutes (but you won't necessarily be doing 5K). Whichever method you choose, it's possible (for me, it's guaranteed!) that at the end you'll need to do more interval training to get your speed up & actually run a full 5K in 30 minutes.)

2. get music podcasts. The two I use (I often alternate on the 3 days of running/week) are Robert Ullrey's (here's his week ONE podcast) and Carli's (here's her week ONE) to get you started. I loaded all the levels onto all the mp3 players in the house so that we're always ready & if someone's batteries are dead, there's another player that can be used. If this music doesn't move you, keep looking. Find music that motivates you & makes you smile & might even make you want to dance around & shimmy a bit.

3. get good shoes. Amelia is running in Adidas, Hugo is in Saucony & I'm in Karhu (yup, that picture is of a Karhu. I run in red shoes!) Get good, new shoes. I have a strong preference for shoes that are really light. This is hard enough already - I don't need extra weights dragging me down. But get whatever works for you. This is no place to scrimp as I've heard many tales of injury & people quitting due to inappropriate footwear.

4. a friend to do it with. I'm running with Amelia & lately we're dragging a protesting Hugo with us. I don't think I'd have got this far without a buddy to commiserate over how much doing this sucks & also to feel smug and superior with, when we're actually done.

5. a schedule & a commitment to going. Pick your days, write them down & don't accept dinner invitations or make appointments etc. which will conflict with your prior commitment to running. When we started, I said to Amelia that we would go no matter what, rain or shine or any other kind of weather. Only if a person was so sick that they were in bed, were they excused. Otherwise, even if a person couldn't run due to illness or injury, they'd still come out & they'd just walk. Or they could fall back to an easier level, repeat a day, whatever they needed to do, but no matter what, they'd go. It hasn't quite worked out that way, and we've played hooky too much (including past Tuesday when inertia crazy glued my butt to a chair & would.not.let.go! Oh & I had cramps. Wusss.) but generally we have been good. Amelia and I even ran a couple times on our camping holiday. Me, running on a holiday! Who'd have thought of that!

6. a track. Now, this may not be a necessity for everyone but for us, it is. I am running with one or two people & we are all of different heights & stride lengths, different fitness levels & abilities, plus I want the option of having any of us repeat a level if we need to. In other words, everyone needs to be able to work at their own pace & for me, the track is ideal for this as it's safe, open, we can see each other, we can high5 each other as we pass by, but we can all go at our own pace. So, while it sometimes feels silly to drive to the track, that's how we do it.

Necessary for me, but probably optional for others:

7. an imperfect knowledge of trivial facts to distract yourself with, by putting them in alphabetical order. Even with the music and the podcasts, I often need to really concentrate on something else to get through my run (the pain, the pain!!!). I like to go through countries, and capitals etc & put them in alphabetical order. So: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, etc. After you do it a few times, that's too easy so I double them up: I need to list two A's, 2 B's, 2C's etc. Or 3. Doesn't have to be countries or capitals, it can be anything but it needs to be an imperfect knowledge because for this to work, you need to have to think about it. Something easy enough that you probably can dredge up the name, but hard enough that it's not something you instantly know.

And yes, I say these pretty much out loud so I'm on a track huffing: Libya! Myanmar! Nigeria! O! O? O..... Oman!

I do get some strange looks .... and that brings me to

8. lose all your dignity. Don't give a shit. Run as slow as you need to (it's called wogging), don't care what you look like, swear if you need to, just keep going.

9. don't feel you need to follow the plan exactly. Repeat weeks if you need to. Amelia and I stalled for a bit during a heat wave, missed a few runs, back tracked, etc. We're just picking up where we left off & building our way back up.

10. celebrate. Feel free to pump the air with a triumphant fist after every freaking interval (after you've finished hacking up a lung). Do a little dance, high 5 your running buddies, fall on your knees & kiss the ground - whatever. It's your run, your body, your challenge. It's hard, so celebrate when you're done.