I did my second run this evening in the "Couch to 5k" program. The first run was...umm...two weeks ago. I'm pretty certain in order for this to work the runs should be less than 14 days apart. Nevertheless, I ran tonight.
I know there are some people that head out for a nice long run to "clear their minds" but I can tell you I'm not one of them. I can't think about anything besides running and what I must look like hoofing it down the street with a wedgie and hoping my belly isn't noticeably jiggling. So, for 30 minutes I feel as vulnerable and self-conscious as one can possibly feel which is probably why I put so much space between these runs. It takes a lot for me to even consider getting into running clothes and strapping on the annoying sports bra and hoping my hair is presentable so the neighbors don't think I'm as grungy as I feel. I have a drawer full of running shirts but have opted for over-sized cotton t-shirts lately (terrible choice for running in humidity, by the way. Talk about a moisture trap.) only because they don't cling to my body, so I can let loose of a minor part of my self-consciousness.
Maybe someone is thinking "why is she doing Couch to 5k when she's run further than that before?". I wanted something to make me LIKE running. I thought (two weeks ago) maybe if I have an "easy" training schedule I'll ease into it and start to enjoy it. The Ct5k is a mix of walking and running and the app tells you when to start and stop both activities. It's pretty sweet but I have to get out the door first.
I'll plan on doing the third run in the program tomorrow but I'll more than likely find six or seven excuses as to why I just can't do it and I'll set my alarm for early Monday and hit snooze until 7am and thus lose 75 minutes of sleep unnecessarily. It's a vicious cycle that I could stop if I'd just DO IT but it's clearly not that easy!
