Couch 2 5k–Week 9

This was it, the last week in the training program.  Even though I did not follow the training program exactly after week 5, I still had the end goal in mind; namely to run 5k.

Day 1	Day 2	Day 3
17 minutes	22 minutes 40 seconds	25 minutes 10 seconds

Day 1 of this week did not begin well.  I have my excuses.

• Week 8 entailed the sister-in-law and mother-in-law staying with us for the entire week.  Consequently, the wife and I had an excuse not to eat well (or in my case keep up my water intake).  I did OK during week 8 but I really felt it Monday morning.
• The son decided he would like to start running with me.  He made it all of 1/4 mile before he had to start walking.  He kept going on the path and I caught him right as I was completing lap 3 (2.1 miles).  Seeing him at that line was excuse enough to stop.
• I began to have the most serious doubts about being able to run a 5k.  Why punish myself on this day if I was never going to make it anyway?

Day 2 was much better and even though the son decided to run with me again, I was feeling much better health-wise with a few good days of better food behind me.  I stopped after 4 laps (2.8 miles) and began to think for the first time since Day 1 of Week 1 that I might, just might be able to make it 5k on Day 3.

Day 3 almost did not happen as the radar showed a lot of rain heading our way and a peak outside showed lightning strikes nearby.  I put on my running shoes and got Nina’s leash thinking that if it was too bad I would just walk a lap with the Doberman and be done.  After 1/2 lap (where my jogging start line is located) I decided to go for it.  The first 3 laps were fine and it was only about 1/2 way through the 4th lap that I began to start the conversation to compromise on how far I would run.  It does not help that the last 1/2 of the lap starts the steepest uphill portion of the lap.  As I could see the corner where I would turn and start my 5th lap I thought to myself “If I could ask myself during any of those times I was running in the previous 8 weeks if I should quite or not, how would I answer?”  From that thought process I mustered up the strength to continue on and finish the last 3+ minutes until the 5k mark.  It helped slightly that the initial portion of the lap is downhill.  Long story short, I made it.  I ran a 5k right on time and according to schedule.  25 minutes is not an impressing time really but my goal was not time related.

The only question now is, “Now what?”  I have not thought of where to go from here.  Do I want to run an actual 5k race?  Do I even want to continue running at all?  I have not decided yet.  I will probably run Monday morning but I am not sure how long (distance or duration).  I can tell you one thing though, I have no desire to run a 10k.

Jon