Couch to One Mile (C21M)

I have tried the Couch to 5K.  Didn't work for me.  Couldn't do it.  I have been walking 3-5 times a week now for about 6 weeks.  This is note worthy because I have never been a walker. It's super boring and so I choose Zumba, Kickboxing, Step, Biking, Elliptical, anything else.  The problem is that if you want to run, you have to start by walking.  Well, I decided I could try again.  But a 5K is way too much to reach for.  I googled "Couch to One Mile" and found a training program.  The first week you are supposed to do 10 minutes of intervals: 30 seconds jog, 30 seconds walk.  I didn't want to do this on a treadmill because it's too hard to try to change your speed every 30 seconds.  And I was very nervous about injuring myself.  Which is a valid concern.  I have plantar fasciitis issues and hip issues.  I am extremely overweight and running is scary.  I felt like I could do 30 seconds at a time.

The opportunity arose yesterday.  I babysit my bestie's baby on Wednesdays.  It was a gorgeous unseasonably warm day.  Along with the baby, she showed up with this!!

A jogging stroller.

That afternoon, we went to the walking trail on the canal.



It was kinda creepy being by myself.  It was much more deserted than I had hoped.  And the highway runs over it so it's full of these shady underpasses which give it a very *a-troll-probably-lives-under-here* feel.

At one point this homeless man with a big shaggy beard was jogging down the trail.  It looked like he had a limp.  And even though the trail goes for miles and miles and miles, he ran past me four times.  Freaky.  I didn't know homeless people exercised.  Shouldn't they conserve their resources?  But it turned out that he was a peaceful homeless man and he did not attack me.  Catastrophe averted. 

It was time for me to start jogging myself.  I had a few false starts because I started getting really nervous.  I almost chickened out. I got really sad for a second.

I really want to run.  I decided to give it a go.  I did 4 intervals of 30 second jogging.  I could tell that if I kept it up I would get hurt.  And my feet and hip were the faintest bit sore that night.  But all in all, it went well! My first Couch to One Mile training complete!