burn baby burn

about a month or so ago i started this "couch to 5K" running program.  it's supposed to get you running for 3 miles, or 30 minutes consecutively in just "9 short weeks" (it's all relative, right?).  i was religiously going to the gym for about 4 months prior to starting the program so i think that i may have been in better shape, physically at least, than some folks who  attempt the C25K.  i say "physically" because mentally i have never really been much of a runner.  oh sure, i have tried many times throughout my life to go jogging on a regular basis, but it never lasted long.  i would start out with a vengeance, and quickly my drive would fizzle out after a week or two and i would return to my idle ways.  basically this program slowly builds your endurance with interval-type training in which you alternate between running and walking.  each week your running time increases, and quickly surpasses your walking time.  i just finished week 4 which was roughly 5-minutes running alternating with 3-minutes walking for 20 minutes (starting with a 5-minute warm-up, and a ending with a 5-minute cool down to give you a full 30-minutes of exercise), and i actually screwed up and did 2-minute walk periods and made it through just fine. it actually felt easier than week 3 which was 3-minutes running alternating with 1-minute walking (i think?).  i feel stronger.  i have pretty much completely quit smoking.  i don't necessarily think that my clothes fit much different, but i realize that i am probably just building muscle while i burn fat and this is making me stay around the same size.  then again, this kind of intense exercise makes you pretty hungry, and i think i'm probably not watching what i eat as closely because i assume i'll just "work it off."  being able to justify eating ice cream is the biggest downfall for me when it comes to regular exercise.  i think that i have more aerobic endurance than i ever have, even more so than when i rode my bike up and down the hills of seattle on a regular basis.  it feels great, but i wish that my knees agreed.  oh, and so many people ask me where the heck i'm running to in tucson.  are you fucking crazy??  i do not RUN in the hot sun factory that is tucson!  i run on a treadmill at the gym in a nice cold, air-conditioned environment WITH a fan blowing on me.  well, i am off to the gym to start week 5...wish me luck!


http://www.c25k.com/